TIFF ’24 Review: ‘Gülizar’ finds its own healing path

Statistics of assaults on women vary by country (as well as whether they even retain records or take reports), but one thing that is irrefutable is it happens regularly everywhere. It’s an unfortunate reality that many victims deal with in silence for a variety of reasons, from a lack of support to shame to fear of reprisal. Some are unsure who they can turn to for help or if that person will believe them. The police and other authorities have a reputation of mishandling these complaints, making women more reluctant to come forward. In Gülizar, a young woman is assaulted before her wedding day.

Gülizar (Ecem Uzun) is a headstrong young woman from a small Turkish village. She is set to marry Emre (Bekir Behrem), the man she loves in Kosovo, and is travelling to unite with him and meet his family. However, at one of the border checkpoints, it’s discovered her mother’s documents are invalid and she must disembark the bus. Gülizar insists she can finish the journey alone so the wedding is not delayed. Unfortunately, she’s sexually assaulted at a roadhouse during one of their stops. Now, her impending big day is eclipsed by the dark cloud of the incident — a cloud that grows darker when she realizes her attacker may be amongst the guests.

Viewers may feel they’ve seen this story before and know how it will progress. However, one of the things that sets this movie apart is it repeatedly defies expectations. As audiences know the assault is imminent, they watch her journey with dread of when it will take place, anxious about the pain and violence she’ll potentially endure, and concerned of the effect it will have on her future. It eventually occurs off-screen, amplifying the sound of her struggles to escape her attacker. She’s thankful to finally arrive at her destination, but doesn’t tell anyone what happened until she’s forced to explain the terrible bruises the assailant left on her body. Emre’s reaction isn’t at all what one would anticipate, though it’s positively refreshing. Similarly, the police take the incident seriously and assure the couple they’ll investigate.

However, the film is built around Gülizar’s reaction to the assault. Appearing as somewhat of a loner from the beginning, she’s not interested in anyone’s help or talking about her trauma. She tells Emre she wants to forget it ever happened, but seeing how it’s distressing her, he can’t help but pursue some form of justice. Even though Gülizar tries to be happy about her impending nuptials, its’s obvious something has dampened her spirits and everyone worries it may be a sign that she’s getting cold feet. Uzun’s performance is quiet but affecting as Gülizar’s attempts to process her ordeal alone is repeatedly interrupted by her well-meaning fiancé, the presence of her attacker or wedding planning, manifesting in an upsetting outburst as she finally loses control of her emotions. Continuing with its theme of going against the grain, the conclusion is similarly unexpected but fully in line with the characters arc.

Gülizar had its world premiere in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Read other reviews from the festival.

Director: Belkis Bayrak
Starring: Bekir Behrem, Ernest Malazogu and Ecem Uzun