Fratricide	by M. Faust

A tragedy played out in the streets of an unnamed German city by young immigrants from Turkey, Fratricide opens with a dedication to the late Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. It’s appropriate, because Pasolini and Turkish-born filmmaker Yilmaz Arslan share two interests: the lives of rough street kids (the “ragazzi,” in the title of Pasolini’s first novel, Ragazzi di vita), and the use of classical dramatic forms in modern stories. At the film’s center are two Kurdish boys who have been sent to Germany by their families to make their way in the world and to send some money home. Azad (Erdal Celik) officially resides in a state-run orphanage, but spends most of his time on the streets, earning money by cutting hair for Kurds who complain about German barbers. Despising his own older brother, a pimp, he becomes a surrogate brother to Ibo (Xewat Gectan), an innocent 11-year-old sent there by his grandfather after his parents were murdered by Turks. A moderately rude incident with two young Turkish men, sons of a hard-working immigrant, escalates into a blood feud that brings out the worst tribal instincts in both groups, and which shows no signs of ending once the first blood has been shed. If Fratricide, which was awarded the Silver Leopard at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival, is somewhat overheated in its dialogue and crude in its excessive violence (sensitive viewers take note), it is nonetheless a film of considerable power, like Pixote done as a Shakespearean tragedy.

Questions or Comments for Artvoice? Send e-mail to editorial@artvoice.com • Article last modified 12/20/2006 Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v5n51: Bye-Bye Skyway (12/21/06) > Film Clips > Fratricide This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Events Calendar • Classifieds