Sandcooler
"My Sweet Pepper Land" follows the formula of the classic western, with a rugged good guy trying to protect a damsel in distress from the inevitable evil rich guy. There's obviously nothing wrong with that, if that plot's good enough for Sergio Leone it's good enough for anyone. On the other hand though, this is hardly a creative film. People seem to really dig the combination of western storytelling (in various meanings) with the unlikely setting of a mountain in Iraqi Kurdistan, the movie mostly thrives on that...gimmick, for lack of a better word. You get a lot of insight into Kurdic history, a subject I knew very little about, apart from that the movie isn't very special. The plot is predictable (granted, all westerns tend to be), there's not a lot of suspense even though they're really trying, and even the standard final showdown is really more of an anti-climax. "My Sweet Pepper Land" is an interesting watch, but not always a superbly entertaining one.
junocreate
Great looking movie with many nods to the classic Westerns, including those of Sergio Leone, this movie dramatises the struggle by the new Kurdish regional government in Iraq to form the basics of government within its territories, especially the rule of law and educating the children, through the story of the policeman and the schoolteacher. This is all set in its wildest region, nicknamed the Bermuda Triangle, where the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey intersect. The music is a highlight, the cinematography too, and the landscape is stunning as well. I liked the story and the main characters, and so far it's one of my favourite films of the year, partly because it's so different but also because it is very well done.
HedgehoginPS
What's the Kurdish word for 'spaghetti?' "My Sweet Pepper Land" is a classic Spaghetti Western set in a remote corner of Iraqi Kurdistan. Upright stalwart hero, distressed damsel, band of lawless ruffians to be dispatched, and, as an interesting twist, a group of well armed feminist freedom fighters who don't like anybody very much. It's a culturally interesting story, flawed by several gratuitous episodes of cruelty to animals being passed off as entertainment-- kind of wrecked the film for us. The high point was the female lead, Golshifteh Farhani (as Govend) playing a melodious Kurdish-6 pan drum. Along with the other music, that made for a much better than average soundtrack.Although classed as a Comedy (it has its moments) at the 2014 Palm Springs International Film Festival, it isn't.
maurice yacowar
In My Sweet Pepper Land, director Hiner Saleem uses Western imagery to trace the survival of two idealistic outcasts in Iraqi Kurdistan. The film does not parody the American Western, but rather suggests that with Saddam Hussein's ouster Cowboy Dubya left the area like the lawless frontier of 19th Century America. A tribal warlord rules like the old gang boss. Horsemen appear beside modern cars and under airplanes. But the "honour" to be viciously defended here is the Code of the East, as teacher Govend's brothers assail her on rumours of licentiousness.The hero Baran was a Kurdish war hero who accepts a frontier sheriff job so he doesn't have to put up with his mother's matchmaking. He has the strength and stolid character of the standard Western hero from Bill Hart to our Clint. But there's a difference. He likes music, like Elvis, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. This inflection raises him above the standard US cowboy hero and reminds us this film is about a cultural invasion. Hence Elvis's "You're square, but Baby I don't care" and "Rockabilly Man," which contrast to the teacher's deft play on a traditional percussion. For more see www.yacowar.blogspot.com.
AD
