Story about orphan children in a refugee camp on the Iraq-Turkish border

TURTLES CAN FLY

    Story about orphan children in a refugee camp on the Iraq-Turkish border at the period of US invasion of Iraq.

     

     ROLES

Soran Ibrahim called Satellite
Pashov
Shirkoo
Agrin Cantik
Hengov
Riga

                                  

            Turtles can fly is a 2004 movie directed by the Iranian film Director Bahman Ghobadi. The movie set in Kurdish refugee camp on the Border of Iraq and turkey. It was the first movie after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Ghobadi worked as former assistant with the director Abbas Karostami for the movie “Wind will carry us”.

            Movie focuses on a group of Orphan children at the border before the second attack of US on Iraq. Director Bahman Ghobadi bought nonprofessional actors with actual war-infected handicaps for the movie. The performance of children add to the film. 

Movie is about a girl in war time but it shows her life the & life of other children around.  Children are involved in clearing land mines, even some are tell them to clear their land and the children are led by Soran called Satellite. His job is to fix antennae to village people, who comes to know of the war and knows English. He is clear about his work that only refugee children are sent for clearing the mines not village children. Satellite sells those mines collected from land to the arms merchant saying “made in America”. In return bargains weapons for rent, for the land owners. Pashov and Shirkoo are often with Satellite.

Pretty looking girl Agrin comes with her armless brother Hengov and a blind toddler Riga get settled in that place and involves in clearing the mines. Hengov is having the power of Clairvoyance and tends to predict the bad that happens in future. He passes the information to Satellite about the place being burst and save the children. Later informs war is going to start and Satellite informs the same in Mosque speaker and moves to top of the hill. From chopper US Army throws the papers informing  “We are your friends, those who are against us are our enemies, we take your sorrow, we are the best in the world” and by that people leaves the place.

Agrin looking at Riga feels her life is waste and steps to commit suicide. But at the edge thinking of him steps back. The view of her at the edge is shown in such a way that, one step forward end of life and one step back is her life of hell. The relationship between them is so intense that it carries the audience to the end. She begins to curse him, hurt him. When Hengov questions her, she spells Riga as Bastard  “the one who killed our family and did this to me, he’s now my child”. By this informs that Agrin parents were killed when US Army attacked their village and she was seduced by an unknown soldier. Riga is her son. 

Satellite feel his love for Agrin tries to impress her, helps her in fetching water from pond. On the way informs about the other pond containing the impure water and the existence of redfish in it, dives into it to fetch them for her.  Agrin decides first she has to loose Riga, ties him to a tree where the place is surrounded with land mines. Satellite and others comes to know about it. Satellite steps forward to save him. In that process satellite steps on a mine and it got burst, with serious injuries he is brought to his place, Riga was safe and sent to Hengov.  Pashov, comes with a informing from Hengov that everything will come to an end, they think war will come to an end. Shirkoo comes with some Red fishes and gives it to Satellite, informs there are lot of Americans watching prohibited channels with children. Satellite looking at the red fishes and  remembers Agrin.

Most of the scenes of Agrin, Hengov and Riga is shown in night time and in dark specifying their kind of life. In the end, satellite and others are in dark as they are going to miss their bright life. When informed that everything will come to an end by Hengov.  From Satellite’s point of view thinks that war will come to an end. Later, it refers the end that is to the life of Agrin and Riga.

            Many things in movie remains as a question that when US army informs ‘those who are against us are our enemies’, were Agrin and Hengov their enemies why were they pushed to lead such a kind of life. Why did they plant land mines in normal people farms.

Finally, Turtles can Fly refers to Turtles can move in water, what Idea the movie was titled so is left to the Director.

Turtles can Fly, story of a young girl with other children of Afghan.