Bliss

Zülfü Livaneli is a Turkish Renaissance man: an internationally renowned parliamentarian, peace activist, musician, and author whose 2002 novel “Bliss” won an award from Barnes and Noble as part of their prestigious Discover Great New Writers program. BLISS, the evocative film based on that novel, focuses on honor killings and the realities of life for women in rural Turkey. Seventeen-year-old Meryem, played with intelligent naiveté by Özgü Namal, has been raped by an unnamed assailant outside her village in eastern Turkey. Locked away in a dark barn, she is encouraged by her stepmother to kill herself. When she refuses to comply, the tribal elder decrees that his son, Cemal, must take her to Istanbul and kill her to preserve the dignity of the village. Cemal is unable to perform the deed, and the two young people set out on a life on the road, knowing they can never return. While eking out an existence as fish farmers, they're cast into the path of Irfan, a congenial ex-professor with a magnificent yacht who's also on the run from his past. With him, Meryam and Cemal take to a blissful life at sea. Their happiness is short-lived, however, as village thugs arrive to take care of unfinished business. Winner of five awards at Turkey's “Oscars,” including best music by author Zülfü Livaneli. (In Turkish with English subtitles) – BB