--- title: "Mustang: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/mustang/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/mustang" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Mustang (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 22 reviews: 20 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Mustang, with praise centred on the five young actresses and the convincing affection, humour and rebellious energy they bring to the sisters. The reviews credit Deniz Gamze Ergüven with keeping their youthful vitality visible as restrictions tighten around them. Many find the treatment of patriarchal control angry and affecting without becoming relentlessly grim, and several admire the suspense drawn from the sisters’ confinement. Reservations concern plausibility and how forcefully the screenplay makes its points. Even supportive reviews note contrived incidents, overstatement and uneven character motivation. Empire admires the performances but finds the symbolism heavy-handed and the drift into melodrama damaging. Slant Magazine is the clear negative outlier, arguing that the film sacrifices nuance and believable behaviour to its message. The spread is broad, then, but the disagreement largely concerns the storytelling rather than the strength of the cast. ## Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2015. The critic calls the film a singularly excellent and original ode to the wild spirit of five teenage sisters and their sisterhood in the face of repression. It singles out the unbridled energy expressed through the girls' fierce femininity and the damning portrait of patriarchal control. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mustang-20151120-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2015. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a stirring and emotional story of female empowerment that captures the buoyancy of adolescence while critiquing Turkish patriarchy. They praise the cast's camaraderie and the director's ability to immerse viewers in the protagonists' mindset. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/mustang-review/5088579.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2015. Festival review. The critic praises the film's sensitive observation of the five sisters as normal, emancipated young women whose supposed transgressions are imagined and magnified in the judgmental minds of others. It highlights the understated feminist drama and the quiet power of the story as a suspenseful prison-break narrative. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mustang-cannes-review-795711/) ## The New York Times — Nicolas Rapold Rating Critic's Pick. 19 November 2015. The critic praises the film as a stunning debut that captures the resilient strength of five sisters rebelling against patriarchal confinement in rural Turkey. It highlights the director's deft timing, appreciation of beauty, nimble screenplay, and the strong ensemble performances of the young actresses. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/movies/review-in-mustang-turkish-sisters-and-traditions-clash.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2015. The critic praises how Mustang breathes new life into the old trope of escaping arranged marriages by reconnecting it with elemental horror and grasping the perverted idealism behind forced modesty. It singles out the expertly tense narrative and the reimagined motifs of Turkish melodrama that feel thoroughly new. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/movie-review-mustang.html) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating B+. 19 November 2015. The critic sees the film as a horror movie about patriarchy that balances bemoaning the characters' fate with celebrating their resilience, delivering an emotionally direct take less poetic than The Virgin Suicides. It singles out the shattering ending and the spiky humor in the prison-movie elements. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/mustang-is-less-a-turkish-virgin-suicides-than-a-horror-1798185716) ## Film Comment — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2015. The critic highlights the film's depiction of five Turkish sisters' solidarity and exuberant rebellion against familial and societal repression in a conservative Black Sea village, framing it as an affirmative fairy-tale-like story of female freedom and resistance. Some overstatement in character and style is noted, along with a glossy international art-cinema approach, but the young actresses' chemistry and directorial brio are praised. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-of-the-week-mustang/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s debut is an accomplished study of what it means to be young and female in Turkey. The critic highlights the film’s rooted sense of place, rebellious spirit, light touch with shocking material, and enough humour to engage the audience. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/15/mustang-review-women-rural-turkey-oscar-nominated) ## The Telegraph — Tristram Fane Saunders Rating 4/5. 20 May 2016. Ergüven’s debut reveals a distinctive and exciting new voice in a powerful, uplifting portrait of defiance. The critic singles out the lead performance by Günes Sensoy as the indomitable Lale and the uplifting score by Warren Ellis. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2016/05/19/mustang-is-a-powerful-uplifting-portrait-of-defiance---review/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 2015. The review describes the story of five sisters victimized by orthodoxy and locked away after innocent play, noting their rebellion leads to mixed outcomes. It commends the committed performances of the young actresses and the film's effective stoking of anger at repression, while observing the aesthetic lacks originality. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/mustang) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 13 May 2016. Mustang is incendiary and intimate, enraging and sweet, with a lightness of touch and hint of black comedy that never obscures the feminist message. The critic praises its formal prowess and righteous ire while noting some third-act flaws. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/mustang-jrqzz23sl) ## Time Out Rating 3.5/5. 13 October 2015. The review highlights the film's portrayal of five sisters resisting conservative pressures and praises the performances and visual style for conveying their struggle for freedom. It notes that the narrative occasionally stumbles with contrived events and insufficient character motivation. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/tr/film/mustang) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2015. Festival review. The review highlights the beautifully mounted debut about the demonization of young female sexuality in a Turkish village, praising the director's skill with the cast of newcomers and their vibrant bond. It notes the film's West European sensibility and potential for arthouse success while critiquing some heavy-handed elements in the script. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/mustang-review-cannes-1201500486/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2016. The critic finds the film a superbly acted study of suppression that's more intent on provocation than plausibility. It praises the insights into Islamic issues with female sexuality and the performances of the largely non-professional cast, but complains of an inevitable descent into melodrama, heavy-handed symbolism, reliance on voiceover, and a sentimental denouement. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mustang-review/) ## Slant Magazine — James Lattimer Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2015. The critic faults the film's blinkered commitment to its theme, arguing that plausibility and nuance are sacrificed for a marketable message, with contrived episodes and one-dimensional authority figures. It singles out the eye-rollingly improbable football match sequence as emblematic of the approach. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mustang/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 9.1. 11 January 2016. The critic hails Mustang as one of the standout debuts of its year, praising its intimate yet sweeping portrait of five sisters under patriarchal control. Ergüven’s precise direction and visual style are singled out for creating a film that balances fury and beauty without descending into histrionics. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/mustang) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 January 2016. The review calls Mustang an impassioned feminist assertion of youthful autonomy and the right to live freely. It singles out the film’s nuanced character work, especially the distinct personalities of the sisters and the youngest’s arc, as a key strength alongside its empathetic portrayal of generational conflicts. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/01/film-review-mustang/) ## The Skinny — Michelle Devereaux Rating ★★★★. 26 February 2016. The review calls it a stirring coming-of-age drama centered on five teen sisters fighting draconian guardians, praising their youthful verve, joyful defiance, and the film's political aggression against conservative ideas of female propriety. An abrupt plot twist is flagged as somewhat ill-advised, but the overall wish-fulfillment ending feels earned and invigorating. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/cineskinny/reviews/mustang) ## The Wrap — Tricia Olszewski Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2015. The critic finds the film a spirited celebration of female rebellion in which five oppressed sisters draw strength from their bond. She singles out the natural, joyful performances of the young non-professional cast for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/mustang-review-france-oscar-turkey-academy-awards/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2015. The critic praises Ergüven for siding with the young protagonists and telling their story as an energetic fable accessible to younger audiences. The director is singled out for keeping the girls' spirit and unity at the forefront while showing the gradual tightening of repressive rules. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mustang-2015-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2016. The critic finds the film a pertinent and impartial study of patriarchal repression and cultural traditions in contemporary Turkey. Praise is singled out for the intimate, candid camerawork capturing the sisters' brief moments of freedom and the standout performance of the youngest sister Lale. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/mustang-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2015. Festival review. The review calls the debut heartfelt and beautifully performed, offering an insightful view of female suppression in a restrictive Turkish environment. The exuberant life, liveliness and sororal chemistry of the young cast are singled out for praise despite some directorial inexperience. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-heartfelt-beautiful-cannes-directors-fortnight-prize-winner-mustang-20151118/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mustang.md