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Fratricide
A gritty tale about ethnic hatred between Kurdish and Turkish immigrants in Germany Yilmaz Arslan's Brudermord a.k.a Fratricide (2005) follows the story of four characters as their lives begin to deteriorate. Evoking visual comparisons with Marco Tullio Giordana's (The Best of Youth) bitter Quando Sei Nato...(2005) about human trafficking in Italy Arslan's film provides a chilling examination of immigrant life by relying on graphic imagery and cast performances of exceptionally high-caliber.
Azad (Erdal Celik) lives in a remote area of Turkish Kurdistan awaiting news from his brother in Germany. A letter arrives with detailed instructions and enough money to get him into the EU. Azad bids his family goodbye and leaves Turkey behind. In Germany the young Kurd discovers that his brother is a pimp.
Gravely disappointed Azad chooses to live in a refuge shelter. There he encounters the 11-year old Ibo (Xewat Gectan) who has arrived in Germany alone - the two quickly become friends. Azad offers Ibo to assist him with his business, cutting hair at rundown Kurdish cafes, and the kid accepts. The couple becomes inseparable.
While at the subway Azad and Ibo have a quick exchange of words with two street tugs creating a domino-effect of violence. As a result the two boys find themselves in the centre of a bloody conflict which quickly spreads over the Turkish and Kurdish immigrant communities in Germany.
Neither poetic nor sugar-coated Fratricide, a massive German-Luxembourg-French production, is a film that should force plenty of European bureaucrats to lose their sleep. Unveiling a side of Germany where immigrants are shown living in a sea of ethnic odium while local authorities struggle to subdue violence this is also a film that brings back painful memories. The centuries-old conflict between Turks and Kurds is again the focus of attention though this time around relocated to a foreign-land.
Morality however is the key ingredient in this tragic film. It is addressed through the eyes of a boy who struggles to accept the fact that right and wrong are often interconnected. While on the streets of an unknown German city Azad also begins to understand that some dreams are better left unrealized.
The biggest surprise in Fratricide is the gut-wrenching performance by the young Xewat Gectan whose character is raped by a merciless Turk. The emotions running through the boy's face are every bit disturbing, impossible to accept. The look of a child who suddenly must act like a man is devastating. Arslan's camera is brutal capturing one of the strongest performances I have seen this year.
Not surprisingly instead of a feel-good finale Fratricide ends abruptly where it started, on the road. The many questions the film asks are also left unanswered. Yet, this seems like the perfect way to put a closure to a story which is too real to be bothered by political-correctness.
Awards/Recognition
Winner of the Silver Leopard Award as well as the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2005.
How Does the DVD Look?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TVs the film looks incredibly strong. Fresh colors, great contrast, tight to the frame image, and lack of any damage should please the more demanding amongst us. Following a positive recent trend Koch Lorber Films have provided a properly-converted print that I am very happy with. In fact, aside from some minor edge-enhancement that I was able to spot in some light shimmering during a few of the night scenes I have no complains here whatsoever.
How Does the DVD Sound?
Presented with a mix of German, Turkish, and Kurdish, in DD 2.0 the audio quality is indeed very good. Dialog is easy to follow and I could not detect any disturbing hissing or drop-outs to report here. As far as I am concerned the only problem is that Koch Lorber Films continue to provide only basic 2.0 audio tracks even when a more elaborate mix is available. With optional yellow English subtitles.
Extras:
Unfortunately aside from the theatrical trailer for this film there is nothing else to be found here.
Final Words:
I can not say I liked this film! I am however very impressed! There is much pain and anger here that is captured marvelously by a cast of mostly non-professional actors. Yilmaz Arslan's camera is bold and notably uncompromising creating a terrifying environment. See this film!!
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