God’s Hand Is a Dustbin
During Ramadan the stories of three Muslims intersect in Burhan Qurbani's debut SHAHADA, in Berlinale Competition.
SHAHADA
We often say “religion is the opiate of the people” and in the Berlinale Competition film SHAHADA (Turkey, Germany), religion weighs heavily on the people who are believers. Modernity and religion clash when people think God is the only solution. From the illegal immigrant workers, to homosexuals, to the imam and his community, to the crisis raised by the imam’s daughter, the director, Burhan Qurbani, reveals society’s fanaticism and hypocrisy. People can do anything expecting God’s forgiveness and magnanimousness as well. SHAHADA is a complicated thematic movie in which Qurbani raises several social and ethical matters.
Firstly, hypocrisy is pointed out in this film. The characters act first and have regrets afterwards. In SHAHADA, nobody means to do this and that, but they do. Maryam, the Imam’s daughter, aborts her baby and regrets the consequences. A man, Sammi, shoots a woman, Leyla, and feels guilty afterwards. Sammi promises his wife he will not cheat, but he doesn’t keep his promise. A young man, Ismail, believes faithfully that dating his male co-worker is a sin and he can’t resist this temptation. In his press book, Qurbani claims his film is not “about religion. It was never meant to be didactic. I didn’t want to take the viewer’s hand and tell him – Islam is this or that way” – but somehow he does. Some scenes – for instance, where he shows the ladies talking about their behaviour and God’s punishment – can lead to a conclusion about religion and also about Islam.
Secondly, through SHAHADA, one can see a criticism of modern life in which people are ignorant of ethics and values. The youngsters live totally outside of the ethical principles. Many young people, coming from religious circles, find themselves corrupted by society. Ismail cannot resist and say no to the violent desire of his homophobic friend. Leyla asks God to help her end her pregnancy and thinks God does so by sending Ismail to shoot her. They believe God can take responsibility for everything. The young ladies, members of the Imam’s community, think as well that God doesn’t have time for the small sinners. The film is very funny and also gets to the heart of society around us.
Overall, the director, separating his film into five chapters, attempts to be clear and constructs the story logically. The film is violent and the bleeding of Maryam, as well as the scene with the Imam and his daughter and the scene with Ismail and his homophobic friend, symbolise the violence. The vibrant music, with a heavy beat, also conveys this violence. Immigration issues within the film are also a kind of violence, showing the madness of developed countries. This film is a kind of autobiography since, as he states in the press book, the director’s parents are victims of the rigorous way of treating immigrants in developed countries.
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