Three Turkish women fight for the right to determine their own lives in Mirror Mirror (Ayna Ayna), an often engrossing trip through the rebellious minds of two young aspiring actresses and the acting teacher who guides them with tough love. Only in the final sequences does the screenplay miss some beats and lose its narrative momentum. But the characters’ spirit of determination remains strong and offers audiences, particularly women, something to get behind and cheer for. Director Belmin Söylemez and her co-writer and producer Hasmet Topaloglu received the Special Jury prize at the Antalya film festival in the closely followed national competition, a major award for one of the few standout Turkish films that spotlights female lives.
In her second feature after Present Tense, Söylemez confirms herself as a director with much to say about the ways women find to express themselves in a patriarchal and ever more conservative society. As one might expect of a film set in a small theater, a lot of attention is paid to the acting and the three lead performances are nuanced and individualized. Laçin Ceylan, who plays the acting teacher Lale, received Antalya’s best supporting actress award, though she seems more like a protagonist here. The stage is literally the life of this red-haired veteran: she not only works in its narrow confines but even sleeps backstage on a divan. A lofty guru to her pupils, she counsels them to write down their dreams and turn them into stage performances.
This is easier said than done. Aylin (Manolya Maya) is a dissatisfied college student who lives in an overcrowded dorm room with no privacy to write or think. Her father keeps close tabs on her, and her frustration is palpable. Her plan to liberate herself is a little laughable: she wants to be chosen to play one of the sultan’s concubines on a hit TV show. This rather outmoded dream draws her to a boy in her acting class who is already on the TV show, but her illusions pop like soap bubbles when she gets to know him.
Frida (Senay Aydin) works in a big, colorful market reselling trinkets and odd objects. She wins respect from the start for her determination to conquer her fears and rehearse in public places, like aboard a ferry boat full of commuters. She has been writing a play about the muse who inspires her, Frida Kahlo, though it is an uphill battle to rescue the artist from the trashy pop figure she has been turned into, her dark eyes glowering from carryalls and ceramic plates. With her strong, tragic face and masses of black hair piled up in imitation of Kahlo, Frida the playwright and actor refuses to be discouraged, even by Lale’s offhand dismissal.
The action is carefully set just as COVID is breaking out in Turkey, and it is threaded into the plot when the theater is shut down indefinitely, presumably by the public health authorities. It comes as a devastating blow to Lale, but at the same time energizes her students and spurs them to demonstrate their commitment and organize themselves. The story and character arcs falter a bit towards the end, where the positive messaging lacks punch. What one most remembers from the film are the stark images of Frida standing alone on a train platform at night, or Aylin eagerly preparing a velvet concubine look in a photo studio, hoping to get the part.
Fine tech work gives the story a leg up, particularly the startling modernity of Vedat Özdemir’s cinematography, which continually offers new perspectives on the small enclosed theater space and ranges freely outdoors in coolly illuminated night scenes that could have come out of a thriller. The smooth interlocking of the camerawork, lighting, editing and Ekan Fil’s magical digital score makes this a very easy watch
Director: Belmin Söylemez
Screenplay: Belmin Söylemez, Hasmet Topaloglu
Cast: Manolya Maya, Laçin Ceylan, Senay Aydin, Cengiz Orhonlu
Producer: Hasmet Topaloglu
Cinematography: Vedat Özdemir
Editing: Evren Lus
Art director: Görkem Canbolat
Music: Ekan Fil
Production company: Filmbufe Film Produksiyon
Venue: Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival Film Festival (National competition)
In Turkish
114 minutes
