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BLISS Send This Review to a Friend
The subject of honor killings is coming increasingly to the forefront of human rights discussions, and the strongest point about “Bliss,” a Turkish import, is that it raises the issue in telling a deeply personal story. Unfortunately, the level of artistry intended doesn’t live up to the possibilities. Directed by Adbullah Oĝuz, “Bliss” has the earmarks of rather pedestrian filmmaking.
Still, the story itself, based on the novel by Zülfü Livaneli, has its own impact. Meryem, portrayed by Özgü Namal, is a 17-year-old who is discovered lying unconscious near a lake. Her clothes are disheveled, leading to the assumption by her family that she has lost her virginity. The code by which the family lives--known as “tore”--dictates that she merits a death sentence.
Who will carry it out? The assignment goes to a cousin, Cemal, played by Murat Han, and the plan is that he take her to Istanbul and en route kill her.
The tone of the film is low-key as the story involves the relationship that develops between the intended victim and the assigned killer, as well as the interplay between them an encountered stranger, a professor with a goal of his own. The resulting complexity tells us a lot about clashes of values and the need for change.
Perhaps the dialogue comes off better in Turkish, but as subtitled, it seems rather banal. Still, the horror of the practice of honor killing needs exposing wherever possible, and in this sense “Bliss” becomes interesting even though the filmmaking itself is less than blissful. A First Run Features release.
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