Fratricide

"Fratricide" is a grimly depressing but utterly compelling tale of a lad who leaves his home in Kurdistan to make a better life for himself in Germany. But the life of an immigrant is never an easy one, and Azad has to face not only prejudice and grinding poverty in his new home, but an older brother who makes his living as a pimp, as well as a couple of Turkish hoodlums who clearly have it out for him (the long-running ethnic rivalry between the Turks and the Kurds serves as an integral part of the story's background). Though street smart and savvy, Azad also has a tender side, as exemplified by his paternalistic devotion to a young orphan named Ibo whom he takes under his wing. Azad also operates within a strict code of moral rectitude, as demonstrated by the fact that he refuses to accept the "tainted" money his brother offers to send back home to their parents. A gruesome and unexpected killing a third of the way through the movie becomes the catalyst for the heartbreaking chain of events that ensues.

Turkish filmmaker Yilmaz Arslan spares us none of the grim realities that people like Azad and Ibo face on a daily basis just trying to keep alive in a challenging and hostile world. Yet, Arslan balances his scenes of tremendous brutality with moments of heart-wrenching tenderness and warmth. The movie never feels forced or contrived as it paints a bitterly realistic portrait of life on the streets for these two young boys. Arslan is helped immeasurably by the superbly naturalistic and wholly believable performances he's been able to draw from his two lead actors, Erdal Celik and Xevat Gectan. In fact, there is nothing less than a superb performance throughout the entire film.

The movie hits on such important themes as nationalism, family loyalty, vengeance, and the truth that violence in the name of honor and ethnic pride only begets more violence, in an ever intensifying and self-perpetuating cycle. Azad is faced with any number of moral dilemmas throughout the course of the film, yet although he tries to break away from the darker side of his upbringing and past, he finds he can never fully free himself from those ethnic rituals of honor and revenge that define who he is.

"Fratricide" is not always an easy movie to watch, but it is an unforgettable experience for those who can take it straight.

This is an interesting movie about conflicting yet similar ethnicities, namely Turks and Kurds. It is violent and bloody yet not senseless at all. There is only one point about the movie which is a big flaw of the movies that is made to have non-related people hate about a nation or a group; the bad guys (Turks in this case) are so bad, immoral and inhuman that after some point you feel like you are watching a science fiction or a war propaganda documentary like those shot during WW's. One more point that should be made here to be honest with the audiences is that the Kurdish group advertised in the movie is accepted officially as a bloody terrorist organization in all Europe and the USA and the guy appearing as the leader is now being rotten in a prison cell betraying his own people.

Overall, you will not regret watching this movie but do not take it as a real-life situation.

Almost crossed over the line to a 9 or 10, but the villains were a bit too easy and one note, and coincidence a bit too key to the story-telling.

None-the-less, a moving, well shot, well acted portrait of the desperation of being a Kurd trying to earn a living in Germany.

A shy, inward young man travels west to meet his brother, and try to send money home to his family, only to find his brother is now a pimp, and they are both caught up in a blood feud with local Turk immigrants. At the same time, our main character tries to shelter and take care of a young Kurdish boy who has lost his parents, and traveled to Germany as an orphan.

Some of the violence is a little over-the-top, and you can feel your buttons being pushed now and then, but it's always absorbing and involving.

It seems that not many people have seen this film. It is shown on a few cinemas in France. The story is about Kurt and Turky conflicts in German. Somebody may feel it nasty because of the bloody scenes and the hate between those two ethical groups. However, I feel very sorrow for them. I was once a immigrant in a totally new environment and I feel uneasy and face a lot of problems, (luckily not as much as those on the screen). When you are the minority and all your fellows stick to the historical hostile towards another minority group, it is very hard for an individual to exit the doomed tragedy. The film evoke two basic questions faced by a lot of newcomers: is this rich country better than the poor hometown? & Can we forget the past in the new world?