On the eve of the 8th edition of Shortcuts’ short-film screening at Hyderabad, four wonderful films were shown on 20th Nov 2005. Danielle Lurie’s ‘In the Morning’ was one of them. The following is the review of the same.
The 10-min Short Film:
In the Turkish country, on a scary night, a teenage girl named, Derya, was raped. Two months later, her family plans to avenge against the crime to restore the family’s lost honor.
Because he will serve the shortest jail sentence, Derya’s youngest brother, Baran, is handed a gun and ordered to murder the criminal - in the name of his family’s honor. Though he disagrees initially, he relents to the act. He was ordered to shoot four bullets in to the criminal’s chest. The next day, in the morning….
Based on a true story, this film narrates the events that took place as a part of one of the ‘honor killings’.
An Everlasting Long Truth:
Silence has two shades: serenity and suppression. It is the latter shade that has engulfed the world of women to an extent where they are victimized over and over. Though in many circles, women have begun to open up, there are still many women who are held back by their society. Injustice against women has many disturbing incidents in its profile, but hardly anything is reported and acted upon for justice. This haunting short film brings a much needed attention to something that’s, not just a global women rights issue, but a global human rights issue.
Before and behind the lens:
All the actors were reportedly English men, who prepared themselves to recite Turkish lines. If you are unaware of the Turkish accent, like me, you will surely enjoy the compact script, in the guise of English subtitles.
Days after I have watched the film, each frame of the film still haunt me. That’s the upshot of Danielle Lurie’s screenplay. Her direction, believe me, is a great text book. Perfect! Through this film, she has precisely demonstrated the power of short-films.
Everyone might have heard phrases like: ‘music rocks’ or ‘rocking music’. Once you watch this film and hear the detailed silence used in the background of this film, you will realize what ‘silence rocks’ or ‘rocking silence’ really means. Thanks to Larry Groupe for his brilliant background score.
Andrew Huebscher’s cinematography and Jon Dodkowski’s editing have added immense value to the film’s technical value.
The ‘Criminal’:
…in the morning, Derya was going through her daily chores, when she sees Baran walking out. She asks him to return back home quickly. On his side, Baran was tense on realizing that he won’t see his sister anymore…. he will go to jail…. But he cannot forget the stark reality, which his sister went through. He has to kill the ‘criminal’. He turns back and shoots his sister…. four bullets pierce into Derya’s chest. The young innocent girl, who is two-months pregnant, is killed for what they call as ‘restoring the family honor’!