Not all post-apocalyptic films are created equal. Some come with a sense of adventure and real heart, even amongst the most terrible of concepts.
Peri (Elif Sevinc) is a young girl who, following an explosion caused by ‘The Corporation’ has no mouth. She’s been taught to survive by her father as the pair live in seclusion in the woods. Unfortunately, peace has broken out and The Corporation want any trace of their mishaps eliminated. Her uncle, Kemal (Mehmet Yilmaz Ak) kills Peri’s father and sets out into the woods to capture her. Escaping across a river she was forbidden to cross, Peri comes across three boys – all who have similar facial deformities. Yusuf (Özgür Civelek) has no nose, Badger (Kaan Alpdayi) no ears, and their leader, Captain (Denizhan Akbaba) has no eyes. Calling themselves the Pirates, they seek refuge in the Lost City to evade Kemal and The Corporation’s troops.
Directed and co-written by Can Evrenol (Baskin), Girl with No Mouth is a twisted fairy tale of a film that uses the post-apocalyptic landscape to tell a tale of adventure, imagination, and paint parallels with what’s happening in some parts of the world. The Pirate’s Captain regales the other kids with fantastical stories ‘read’ from newspapers (only Peri can actually read, but obviously can’t speak), and they meet their own version of a wicked witch in the Sergeant’s wife (Özay Fecht), who has her own redemption story. Had this Turkish film be a little softer with the violence and swearing, it could have been a great older children’s film. Which isn’t to say that adults won’t enjoy it. Fans of Evrenol’s extreme horror may be disappointed, but Girl with No Mouth is a riveting and enjoyable fable that mixes Lord of the Flies with Peter Pan.
