Ghoul (TV Movie) 2012 Review ★★★☆☆

********CONTAINS SPOILERS********

I've been doing a horror film marathon using Netflix when I came across Ghoul (2012). After I already watched Scorned (2013), Your'e Next (2011) and Apartment 1303 (2012) all which I didn't want to write a review on as they probably would have scored like a 1 star and that's pushing it.

The reason I originally picked Ghoul was because I thought it would be a monster horror but by the time the film finished I had realised I was wrong, however that wasn't a bad thing. There were some very interesting themes throughout the film which I think made the film seem more like a drama. The audience can relate to some of the issues through the film which I found interesting for a horror film because usually its all about sex, gore or hillbillies which aren't really relatable, well maybe to a small minority.

The film centers around three teenage boys who are all best friends and are looking forward to spending time with each other over the summer. They have built an underground fort to play in so are desperate every day to go in it. The main theme which runs through the film is the discovery of friendship. There is a story that goes through the town, the myth of the ghoul. Some say its just to keep the kids in line but some believe it is a real monster that roams around the mines underground. One night two teenagers are attacked, one is killed the other kidnapped and taken to the ghouls den. As the kidnappings are happening, we get to see into the lives of the three best friends. None of them have it easy.

Loss of a family member

Timmy has to deal with the death of his granddad who dies after he lets Timmy go out and play with his friends. He hides a present for Timmy in the underground fort which shows he cares for his grandson. It is sad to watch because they seemed so close with each other.

Spousal and child abuse

Barry's father abuses both his wife and Barry. He is an alcoholic which you find out was due to his friend's family as they had a tragic disaster and he felt guilty. He takes all his anger out on his wife and son. He bullies the other children by calling them names and threatening them. It is hard to watch a man beat up his own child and wife. The sad thing is the mother doesn't even seem to want to leave after Barry is brutally beaten. This is representing the abuse that is going on in the world and that people are too scared to call the police. The wife is in denial which can relate to other women suffering with domestic violence.

Child Molestation

Doug's mother is also an alcoholic, this is due to her husband leaving her. This affects Doug as at night when he is in bed his mother sexually abuses him. The first scene we see this is when the mother strolls in his room and gets into bed with him. My first reaction was shock as I straight away thought it was portraying sexual abuse however I questioned it because the film had shown so many other issues I thought they can't add that in aswell. But they did, and it was hard to watch because Doug tells Timmy in confidence and it's sad because Timmy says he is always there for him. It is showing how strong their friendship is and how far they will go to protect one another, because Timmy also sticks up for Barry when his father starts to attack.

The ghoul isn't a monster, but a man. The man who was friends with Barry's father, he began living underground and killing due to his wife committing suicide along with killing her twin babies. This led him crazy and I think the 'ghoul' was connoting that you don't have to be a creature to be a monster, but just human. Humans can turn into ghouls if you let yourself. The film is conveying that everyone lives with some kind of nightmare or ghoul, which they hide from others. However it is showing that friendship can help you if you let it.

Overall, even though this film wasn't really scary it was a good film to watch.

Please comment with your thoughts!

Cast

Nolan Gould as Timmy

Trevor Harker as Barry

Jacob Bila as Doug

Tim Bell as Martin Kreider/Ghoul

Dane Rhodes as Clark

Barry Corbin as Grandfather

Catherine Mary Stewart as Elizabeth

Catherine Curtin as Carol

Andrea Frankle as Rhonda

Director

Gregory Wilson

Screenplay

Brian Keene (novel)

William M. Miller

****these dates are UK releases and not US.

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Kuma (2013) Review ★★★☆☆

********CONTAINS SPOILERS********

I came across this film on Netflix and was intrigued because it was about a Turkish family. The film is made by an Austrian company however most of the film is in Turkish. This was the first Turkish film I have ever found on Netflix so I had to watch it. 

The film follows a young woman named Ayse (which is my name, this is just the Turkish spelling) who is from an old village somewhere in Turkey and her family have arranged her to marry with a man who is Turkish but lives in Germany. The thing is the man who they are setting her up with is an old man who is already married with six children. How are they going to get away with this and why, I suspect your asking yourselves.. Well they pretend she is marrying the second oldest son Hasan because he is a young handsome man so no one will suspect that really she is marrying Mustafa so she can take over the family when Fatma his other wife passes away as she is dying with cancer.

Now at this point I was like what on earth, because usually in Turkish families the children would look after the parents especially the fact that the children are old enough to look after themselves in the film however I think this is portraying poor and uneducated Turkish lifestyle. 

As the film goes on you feel sorry for Ayse, the fact she's forced into something she didn't want to do, and things get worse because she gets pregnant by Mustafa therefore has to stay with the family no matter what. I found it so awkward to watch and I understood the children's reactions and the way they treated Ayse however they should understand that it wasn't her choice to live this kind of lifestyle. 

Fatma is still dying of cancer and there is a scene in the hospital when everyone is awaiting the results of her condition and the camera cuts to a funeral scene. Now at this point I was like aww yeah the mum has died, not realising that in fact Mustafa, the father had! I couldn't believe it, what a great twist to the film! Now I felt even more sorry for Ayse. But oh it got worse for her, she begins falling in love with Hasan which you want to happen as you her to be happy but he comes out gay! Poor Ayse! The fact that it is forbidden in Islam to be homosexual, I think this film brought up issues that are happening but are not being confronted, so I am glad they added this into the film.

The mise-en-scene made you feel like you were in Turkey and not Germany, the house was full of traditional Turkish ornaments and rugs, Turkish food and the way they behaved. It was like they were living in a small Turkish community as the supermarket they went to was run by Turkish people and had Turkish workers. They try to single out Ayse by speaking German however she starts to learn it which proves to them she wants to be apart of the family. 

This poor girl has had it tough but I think the film is showing stereotypes of traditional Turkish families. For example village girls like Ayse are usually sent to marry someone rich so they can have a better life, Kezvan's husband beats her but she doesn't want help, this shows that traditional families keep to themselves and do not want to get involved. I think the film is portraying rejection, desperation, secrets and showing that there are different generations of Turkish families. You can see they are uneducated and a different generation because of their behaviours, the behaviours most of the characters show would be considered taboo. 

I did enjoy this film as I didn't expect there to literally be so much drama, it was melodramatic however it had good acting which made it believable. I would recommend you to watch it!

Please comment with your thoughts!

Cast

Nihal G. Koldas as Fatma 

Begum Akkaya as Ayse

Vedat Erincin as Mustafa

Murathan Muslu as Hasan

Alev Imak as Kezvan

Aliye Esra Salebci as Gulsen

Ethem Saygieder as Ibrahim

Abdulkadir Tuncer as Mehmet

Director

Umut Dag

Screenplay

Umut Dag

Petra Ladinigg

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Discussion: Can Intercultural relationships work?

Being Turkish and English myself I wanted to explore whether intercultural relationships can work because I recently had a discussion with a friend who doesn't agree with it. I want to look at the advantages and disadvantages even though I know it differs with every single person as there are various different factors that affect a person. 

My mum and dad with me as a baby

My mother is English and my dad is Turkish, they met in England and when they got married decided to stay in this country. My dad kept his traditions and culture but adapted to his new English society. All my life I have learnt both cultures and respected both however I chose to not follow the traditional Turkish cultures as I do not agree with some of them. My mother didn't believe in some of the Turkish values therefore her and my father would compromise on what they would share and what would happen within our family. Personally I believe that works the best because it is the love for the family which is the most important thing.

I personally don't even think there should be advantages and disadvantages because we are all human and shouldn't look at race or anything like that, all you need is love and respect for the person you are with and shouldn't let anything outside that interfere, especially narrow minded and judgmental people. However I have thought of some so it can be discussed.

Advantages

Learning  a new culture

When you meet a person from another culture you get to experience new ways of thinking. You become educated in all new different things within that new culture such as language, food, clothing, traditions and values. You have a better understanding of others who follow that culture which allows you to relate to it and learn how other people live. We all share the same world but live differently, it is great to learn about new ways of living. It gives you a great sense of who your partner is, and to share that with them is a wonderful thing. To learn about different things within that culture allows you to explore it further by trying it out and seeing whether you would like to have these things apart of your life. To have that choice in life is great because you feel that you are apart of more than one society. It gives you a better understanding of the world we live in.

Advantages for children

There is an advantage for children who are in an intercultural family because from birth they will learn more than one way of living. They will learn all the traditions and all the cultures which gives them the chance to break down prejudices and not discriminate against others as they have a better understanding. Especially when they are younger at school they can make friends with anyone without judging them for where they come from or what they believe in as they themselves have come from a mixed background. Obviously this doesn't apply to every single person because every one is different but I believe this happens to the majority of children from an intercultural relationship.

Stronger family life

Families who are intercultural can make their own way of living by combining all their values and cultures. They may have to compromise with certain things as all might not agree on certain things. This makes a stronger family as they are willing to respect each others opinions and views or at least give it a try. It allows you to create your own traditions which will suit everyone. 

Exploring new countries

You get the chance to visit new countries if you or your partner are from another country. You can experience the different cultures first hand and witness the lives they live. You can choose where to live and bring your children up, depending on where you prefer. With my family I get to go to Turkey and stay in England. I prefer it in Turkey and hope in the future I can move there permanently. 

Language

If you do not know the language which your partner speaks it can be difficult because communication is very important however I believe it can be overcome if you believe in your relationship. It is hard to learn new languages especially say if I have children because they will want to learn English, Turkish and what ever language my husband would speak to please all family members. It would be difficult if not all family members could talk to each other and one may feel uncomfortable if another language is constantly being spoken and you not understanding. I personally would want to learn the basics of my partners language and hopefully be fluent. I would expect others to respect that every one is from a different background therefore may have a different language. However the chance to learn a new language is an advantage because it is good to speak to your partners family and also when you travel to the country your partner is from you can talk to the citizens of the country confidently. It can also open up a lot of opportunities for you in the future with careers etc.

Disadvantages

Family members & Acceptance

Some people will choose to continue to follow their original beliefs or adapt to new ones or even form their own. A person who is not of that culture may be left out when visiting their partners family as they do not follow the same culture and traditions. They can choose to begin to follow them just to fit in however it is unfair as they may want to follow what they believe in. For example an Indian girl may want to wear her traditional clothing at an English event however will feel left out as English people do not wear the same type of clothing. I personally believe that the other persons family should accept who you are because you are not marrying them. They should respect your own culture and vice versa. I would not expect my husbands family to visit mine and wear all Turkish traditional clothing, I would want them to be comfortable with what they are wearing. It is hard if you come from a traditional family as they may not be very accepting of your partner, which to some people isn't a bad thing. This may put a strain on the relationship. The family members may be old fashioned in the sense of sexist and racist therefore will never accept an "outsider" into their family. This is a hard topic and must be discussed before getting into a relationship to see whether it will work out and the issue can be resolved.

Depending on who you are you can overcome the disadvantages so easily, if your heart is in it and you have respect for others you will have a successful relationship. Just don't become someone you don't want to be. I believe in intercultural relationships because it doesn't matter as long as you love that person you are with.

Please share your thoughts, if you agree or disagree or if you have any experience, I would love to discuss with others! Please avoid racist comments!

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