Bliss (2007)
3-4 stars
The premise is daunting—a teenage shepherd girl is raped and, according to local custom, must be killed for her sin. Although offered the choice to do the deed herself by a wicked stepmother, Maryem only goes so far before she stops. It is then decided that her father’s cousin’s son, Cemal, will be the responsible male to remove this shameful woman from the family when he returns from his stint as a commando.
Maryem and Cemal head to Istanbul beginning a journey with a number of twists and turns. Cemal is given the opportunity to hear from some male peers that the task he has been given is more reflective of his backward village than of any commandment of faith. When it becomes evident to the family back home in the village that Cemal has NOT killed his cousin, two thugs are sent out to kill Maryem but are instructed to leave Cemal alone. Cemal and Maryem end up on a yacht with an interesting older gentleman who is very kind to them. His interest in Maryem is not immediately clear, but we learn that he is traveling on a mission of his own.
The scenery is beautiful and modern Turkey is regularly juxtaposed against the less developed parts of the region. Both Cemal and Maryem change in some fundamental ways while still retaining elements of the characters as introduced. The title, Bliss, is interesting in that the word typically reflects a state of happiness or joy. Wikipedia defines it as a constant state of mind undisturbed by gain or loss. As the movie unfolds, it is this later definition that best describes what seems to happens in the minds of the characters.
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