Cinema Society

MY SWEET PEPPER LAND

Average
Rating

3

Tuesday, April 08, 2014, ArcLight La Jolla

TUESDAY, APRIL 8

On Screen: 4:30pm or 7:30pm (You Pick!)

Arclight La Jolla (Auditoriums 4 &n 5)

Cinema Chat and Introduction begins 15 minutes prior to screenings

Discussion follows screening

Winner, Best Film, Chicago Film Festival

MY SWEET PEPPER LAND

After the fall of Saddam Hussein, two unlikely allies converge in a war-torn Kurdish village at the borders of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Both Baran, a former Kurdish independence war hero, and Govend, a beautiful young woman defying tradition by accepting a post at a newly-opened school, are hell-bent on seeing order and civilization restored to their damaged country. Elements of the Western genre combine with the awe-inspiring landscapes in director Hiner Saleem’s socially-inflected frontier tale.

Please note: MY SWEET PEPPER LAND is in Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish with English Subtitles, Running Time: 95 Minutes. Not Rated

ALSO PLEASE NOTE: Prior to our presentation of “MY SWEET PEPPER LAND”, we will be premiering the San Diego State University short BEACHES AND BEER, underwritten by our Reel Relief and Directors Circle Members.

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10-Apr-14: judy s - Rating: 1

Both films left me feeling empty. The previous film, April 1, left me breathless and delivered what I hope for with Cinema Society.

10-Apr-14: SiouxMac - Rating: 4

I really enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed the interaction between the two leads, and found them both interesting, compelling characters. Baran seemed to be quite modern in his thinking, and if I could fault the film at all it would be in not letting us know how he came to be so enlightened. He spoke of being a fighter since the age of 15 - so where did he get his progressive ideas toward women?

9-Apr-14: Mickey Kopol - Rating: 4

In the old Westerns of my youth, the good guy wore a white hat. In this film, the good guy wears a black hat and never backs down from the bad guys and doesn't hesitate to blow them away. The woman star is a poster child for women's lib. Put the two together and the result is inevitable.In spite of sub-titles, the film moves quickly. The lighting and cinematography is somber and sets the mood of the film. I liked this film a lot.

9-Apr-14: alice - Rating: 4

I really liked it. I enjoyed seeing the locale and towns. i loved the music. evidently the woman really does play the "hang" as its called.

9-Apr-14: jh - Rating: 2

Maybe it was the opening scene that turned me off. Had I recognized this scene as tongue-in-cheek, maybe I wouldn’t have turned against the film so soon. The film walked the fine line between drama and farce and for me only the Coen brothers can pull this off. I also think that Saleem tried to do too much, going for laughs, a serious, separatism theme, a send-up of the spaghetti western, and women’s rights, all this spiced with comical desperados (trafficking in expired medicines???) and all-female freedom fighters. It just didn’t work for me.

9-Apr-14: Mroe - Rating: 3

The description as a “Kurdish Spaghetti Western” was very accurate. The glimpse into another part of the world and their culture was interesting and also scary and unfathomable (even for as late as 2005). Though not wrapped up in a perfect “Hollywood ending”, however allowing there to be a they-end-up-together-in-the-end was nice but one can’t help but remember where there are and the culture they live in that they would ever really have a “fairy tale” life together.

As for the short student film “Of Beaches and Beer”, great doc and enjoyed the extra animation/details too and it being so local made it that more interesting and captivating.

9-Apr-14: Mary S - Rating: 3

I did enjoy My Sweet Pepper Land. Despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of "Spaghetti" westerns the movie provided a look into a vastly different culture, which was interesting. Also, the student documentary was a pleasant surprise. I was so pleased to actually see where my membership in the Director's Circle contributed to the student film which would have held its own at the American Documentary Film Festival.