Filmed in Turkey's beautiful, fresh-air mountains high above the Black Sea, the film Sibel uses the whistled language of Kusköy, also known as "Village of the Birds." The protagonist Sibel (Damla Sönmez) is a mute young woman and the elder daughter of the town's leader Emin (Emin Gürsoy). She communicates with family and community through the ancient whistling language of the region. Even though everyone else in the village also whistles this language (it's especially useful when working in the tea fields), they treat Sibel as an outcast because of her muteness that renders her unmarriageable. Her peers, including her younger sister Fatma (Elit Iscan), ridicule her and refuse to allow her to participate in their schoolmate Çiçek's engagement celebration.
Besides capturing Kusköy's breathtaking scenery and cultural history, Sibel tells both a fairy tale and a contemporary story. Sibel, a veritable "Diana of the woods," hunts a never-seen wolf that plagues the village, apparently for generations. Sibel looks and acts like the mythical heroes who pursue evil dragons. During her forest forages, her eyes are wild and her ears fine-tuned for prey. Sometimes she checks in on old and crazy Narin, who lives in a mountain hut. During each visit, Narin laments the loss of her sweetheart, Fuat, who disappeared in youth "but is sure to be back soon." Narin represents Sibel's fate as an unmarriageable pariah.
Sibel collects bones, believing they belong to the wolf. She hopes that one day she can prove the wolf is dead by presenting its complete skeleton to the villagers, thereby gaining their respect. We later learn that the bones are probably Fuat's, and that he was killed in front of Narin for having an illicit relationship with her. This information explains her insanity.
One day, Sibel's deep pit to trap the wolf captures a handsome young fugitive. His name is Ali (Erkan Kolçak Köstendil) and he's badly wounded. Sibel drags him to her hunting shack, and in the days that follow she heals his wounds with medicinal plants. Ultimately, they form a close relationship. In the movie's "contemporary story," the government and media frame Ali as a terrorist on the loose, but in reality, as he whistles to Sibel, he's a conscientious objector being hunted down by the authorities. Eventually the pair is discovered, and Ali vanishes to a fate we never learn.
The contemporary side of the movie also involves village traditions, in particular the ones that relate to women being ruled by men. Because of Sibel's unauthorized relationship with Ali in the mountain hideout, her sister Fatma's engagement is called off. The groom-to-be's family refuses to be associated with such disgrace. Sibel then demonstrates her courage by walking through the village with her sister. Her head is held high and her huntress eyes are defiant. She sees Çiçek standing in the tea fields watching the despised sisters pass by. Their eyes meet in a moment of woman-to-woman recognition. Çiçek, now the wife of a man she never chose, makes a movement with her mouth that sends a message of approval and envy to Sibel: It's better to be independent and a pariah than an enslaved woman.
Some years ago, Sibel's directors visited Kusköy, and their fascination for the local whistling language led to creating the movie. This "bird language" uses Turkish syllables expressed as piercing tones. The directors' sought out Damla Sönmez for Sibel's role, and inspired by the story, the actress devoted herself to learning the whistling language. She spent time with the villagers and later with a trainer. What she whistles in the film is exactly what the subtitles say. Her vivid performance fulfills perfectly Sibel's folkloric persona. As contemporary story, the film captures a place in the world that's caught between an obsolete and unjust social order and the more advanced democracies of today, however flawed.
11 Reviews
Tale of another space-time
FrenchEddieFelson10 March 2019
In a rural Turkish environment, the film describes for a few days a young mute woman (Sibel) who is rejected by an inhospitable and rough village community, and confronted with customs of another time. The overall result is a little bland: 5/6 of 10.
Well-made film covering interesting material
freydis-e9 February 2020
This is a fine film, solidly acted across the board, which introduces us to village life in Turkey's northern mountains. Shots of wilderness and village settings are great and, while not that much actually happens, the plot and the main character's plight, continue to grip the viewer throughout.
What's different here is the extraordinary Sibel, mute because of a childhood illness, she communicates via an ancient whistling language (originally evolved to allow farmers to 'talk' over very long distances) now spoken and understood by only a few. Because of her disability, she is treated somewhere between a child, not required to cover her head (presumably because no man will want her) and a man, allowed to go freely around the village, fields and forest, carrying her rifle. Her attitudes are interesting - she fearlessly takes on an unknown male assailant, but makes no resistance when the older women of the village attack her. Even more interesting (and producing perhaps the best performance of the film) is the attitude of her conflicted father, the local mayor. Sibel provides him with the domestic support, cooking and cleaning, that any widower expects of his daughter in this society, but also with the companionship usually provided by a son as the two go hunting together and he declares with pride that she knows the forest better than any local man. At some deeper level he understands that not only disabled people are abused by this culture, but, through Sibel, that women are too. Even in his position of power though, he is unable to change anything.
The script is a bit less reliable - for example it's not believable that the prissy younger sister would have the courage, let alone the skills required to track Sibel into the deep forest undetected. But the upbeat ending is fine. This is not victim-feminism, but presents a character able, despite a wobble or two, to function well despite all the odds stacked against her by both her disability and the chauvinist society she lives in.
What's different here is the extraordinary Sibel, mute because of a childhood illness, she communicates via an ancient whistling language (originally evolved to allow farmers to 'talk' over very long distances) now spoken and understood by only a few. Because of her disability, she is treated somewhere between a child, not required to cover her head (presumably because no man will want her) and a man, allowed to go freely around the village, fields and forest, carrying her rifle. Her attitudes are interesting - she fearlessly takes on an unknown male assailant, but makes no resistance when the older women of the village attack her. Even more interesting (and producing perhaps the best performance of the film) is the attitude of her conflicted father, the local mayor. Sibel provides him with the domestic support, cooking and cleaning, that any widower expects of his daughter in this society, but also with the companionship usually provided by a son as the two go hunting together and he declares with pride that she knows the forest better than any local man. At some deeper level he understands that not only disabled people are abused by this culture, but, through Sibel, that women are too. Even in his position of power though, he is unable to change anything.
The script is a bit less reliable - for example it's not believable that the prissy younger sister would have the courage, let alone the skills required to track Sibel into the deep forest undetected. But the upbeat ending is fine. This is not victim-feminism, but presents a character able, despite a wobble or two, to function well despite all the odds stacked against her by both her disability and the chauvinist society she lives in.
Breaking the Stigma
lexva517 June 2019
From the moment Sibel (Damla Sönmez)makes her appearance on screen, she captivates us through her beautiful expressive eyes and launches us into here world. She is a mute communicating only through whistling, ostracized by her fellow women tea plantation workers (and even her younger sister) for she is considered a bad omen - whether for someone getting pregnant or getting engaged. Only a half mad woman Nairn, who she visits occasionally seem to accept her.
Sibel tries to break this vicious stigma and tries to gain acceptance by her community by killing a wolf which apparently is foraging the mountains and the whereabouts. She is armed with a rifle which her father has given her and she sets traps for the wolf. Despite her efforts the wolf never appears, but she manages to capture an army deserter (and hence a traitor to the locals) through one of her traps. Eventually this cascades to a tragic/dramatic turn of events where her relationship with her family and the villagers is tested and turned on its head.
I found this film to be a powerful film, that is visually breathtaking at times, cruel, intense and captivating in its core issues. What happens when a foreigner is trying to raise an awareness which we cannot even comprehend because of our closed outlook, superstitions, religion maybe, culture etc?
A dramatic turn of events, help Sibel (who in reality is somewhat free because of her handicap. She goes around without wearing a scarf and with a rifle like a man) to break the Silence that her stigma put her in, becoming a person in her own right. No longer a slave to her culture or community/familial ties, when several truths sink in, she is willing to pay the price to become her own person and obtain true freedom.
This film almost deserves a second watching
helpful and powerful for women
paridokhtar12 February 2022
Disastrous Representation of Countryside, including Women
sakarkral11 March 2019
This film reminded me of Mustang, another award-winning movie about the oppression of women and other evils of the Turkish countryside. Although the facts regarding this issue is true, cinematic representation of these facts requires literal artistry and Sibel is a total failure in this case.
Technical details aside (dialogues are badly written, acting of the amateurs are slightly better than terrible, while some villagers have strong rural accent, some others speak perfect Istanbul Turkish etc.), the movie has serious flaws from the beginning to the end. The movie aims to depict the condition of women in Turkish countryside, and problematizes the social mechanisms within. However, these social mechanisms are mainly women-borne, so as to say that "a woman is a wolf to other women."
This is the exact point this movie totally fails. Their "goal" for shooting this movie appears to be singling out their "fellows" in these rural communities (those who have potential to be bourgeois, though stuck in the countryside) and motivate them to fight back. Against whom? Against the oppressive women around them, instead of building a feminist consciousness and solidarity altogether.
Apparently this is all because the directors' strong bourgeois codes do not let them get into (and grasp the essence of) the real rural life, so they had no chance but to represent what they already had on their minds about it.
Technical details aside (dialogues are badly written, acting of the amateurs are slightly better than terrible, while some villagers have strong rural accent, some others speak perfect Istanbul Turkish etc.), the movie has serious flaws from the beginning to the end. The movie aims to depict the condition of women in Turkish countryside, and problematizes the social mechanisms within. However, these social mechanisms are mainly women-borne, so as to say that "a woman is a wolf to other women."
This is the exact point this movie totally fails. Their "goal" for shooting this movie appears to be singling out their "fellows" in these rural communities (those who have potential to be bourgeois, though stuck in the countryside) and motivate them to fight back. Against whom? Against the oppressive women around them, instead of building a feminist consciousness and solidarity altogether.
Apparently this is all because the directors' strong bourgeois codes do not let them get into (and grasp the essence of) the real rural life, so they had no chance but to represent what they already had on their minds about it.
Enthralling story of female empowerment
Blue-Grotto22 November 2020
From the heart of the forest in ancient times a farseeing and intrepid woman returns with a magical fire that draws the other women of the community. The bad spells that are cast over them are broken and together the women shine. There is no telling when this mysterious woman might appear.
Because she is mute Sibel is considered bad luck and is bullied by the other women in the village including her little sister. Sibel's pariah status is partially a blessing in that it grants her an unusual independence. In her spare time she roams the forest with a rifle looking for a wolf to kill. A dead wolf would improve her status with the other women and so the hunt consumes her. Sibel communicates by whistling, an ancient language understood by many in the community including her single father, sister, and an elderly recluse she befriends. When Sibel stumbles upon an injured fugitive in the forest she risks her safety, independence, and family honor by helping him, yet she is too lonely to let him go.
This enthralling story of female empowerment unfolds in Turkey's resplendent mountain forests of ancient spruce, mist, and patches of sunlight. The story loosely parallels that of the Scarlet Letter where a shunned woman becomes a positive source of wisdom and inspiration for other women in the village. There are many touching scenes such as when a hopeful Sibel shows up at a dance in a sparkly, flowery dress handmade by her reclusive friend, and she is shamed by her little sister. This powerful and encouraging story of feminine prowess is needed in all places, even in America, where women shun enlightenment and education in favor of pleasing men who treat them with disdain. The film is not a showcase of acting skills or cinematography, but it is believable and heartening.
Because she is mute Sibel is considered bad luck and is bullied by the other women in the village including her little sister. Sibel's pariah status is partially a blessing in that it grants her an unusual independence. In her spare time she roams the forest with a rifle looking for a wolf to kill. A dead wolf would improve her status with the other women and so the hunt consumes her. Sibel communicates by whistling, an ancient language understood by many in the community including her single father, sister, and an elderly recluse she befriends. When Sibel stumbles upon an injured fugitive in the forest she risks her safety, independence, and family honor by helping him, yet she is too lonely to let him go.
This enthralling story of female empowerment unfolds in Turkey's resplendent mountain forests of ancient spruce, mist, and patches of sunlight. The story loosely parallels that of the Scarlet Letter where a shunned woman becomes a positive source of wisdom and inspiration for other women in the village. There are many touching scenes such as when a hopeful Sibel shows up at a dance in a sparkly, flowery dress handmade by her reclusive friend, and she is shamed by her little sister. This powerful and encouraging story of feminine prowess is needed in all places, even in America, where women shun enlightenment and education in favor of pleasing men who treat them with disdain. The film is not a showcase of acting skills or cinematography, but it is believable and heartening.
Amazing
feyzaorhan15 May 2020
An original and fascinating tale with much to love.
christianworth18 March 2019
Among the many endearing aspects of this movie, one must mention obviously the depiction of a rural society with rules and behaviors so far from ours but beyond that the structure of the story, the visual treatment, the color schemes are very interesting. Whether it is a true representation of the life in a given part of Turkey is not in my view relevant to the interest of the film. The feminist dimension is indeed there, but secondary to the plot.
Powerful and unexpected
calicut1102 August 2021
The actress and character are so badass you are left wondering why nobody else around sees that. That's a big part of the irony of this film. Aside from that I cared so deeply for these characters, great direction and storytelling. It was a thrilling journey. I could imagine this being a best foreign film nominee, it was that good!
Beautiful captivating Sibel...
Diconsolado25 April 2021
Here is a wonderful, sober little tale of a young girl, Sibel, but not just any young girl. A survivor of segregation. A fond and brave being, full of sensibility and with a compassionate heart that fights for her own voice - the only one that speaks the truth, the only one the world has tried to keep from our befuddled senses. Somewhat introduced as a lost and wild soul, she turns out to be the most dedicated spirited human in her land. Damla Sönmez captures us from start to finish, in a movie that flows through its story in a breath of an absolute and beautiful realism.
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