– The second feature film by Kazakh filmmaker Olga Korotko is an escalating thriller about the conflict between sensitive femininity and toxic masculinity
Inzhu Abeu in Grilling, it’s your turn
Given the abundance of arthouse films dealing with the subject, it is not easy to make another film on the subject of #MeToo. Perhaps in search of an original way to tell a story that has been told countless times before – an attempt already hinted at by the unusual title, which refers to an inside joke – Olga Korotko focuses more on the inner world of her protagonist, letting the already predictable external events serve more as a backdrop for the gradual revelation of her character traits. This approach saves the script (also written by Korotko), riddled with loose logic and awkwardly put-together ideas, from failing to convey any sense, while also ensuring that the film remains enjoyable to watch throughout its duration. After earning a spot for her debut, A bad winter (2018), in the Cannes ACID program, Korotko’s next film, Grilling, it’s your turnis currently showing in the “Cineasti del Presente” competition at the 77th Locarno Film Festival and shines with its atmospheric aesthetics.
The fact that Merey (Inzhu Abeu), a 25-year-old photographer with a penetrating gaze, is different from the rest, it is emphasized right at the beginning. When Nurlan (Ayan Batyrbek), one of the people from a group in carnival spirit and dressed accordingly, she arrives, it already feels like a clash of whole worlds. Later, he takes her to a screening of an avant-garde film and then introduces her to his male circle of friends, after which she listens to dirty stories about rough sexual adventures. Given her sensitive nature, she should have been alarmed already here, but against all reason, she accepts an invitation to a birthday party outside the city with this practically stranger Nurlan and his depraved friends. At the sight of the prostitutes who have invited her to the villa of the most arrogant among them, Bahyt (,Arnur Kusaingazin), the development of events as a whole is easily predictable. What captures the viewer’s attention, however, is the devil in the details – that mysterious aura that surrounds the heroine and the atmosphere she creates, which completely draws us into her realm.
Korotko, who claims to have been inspired by Kira Muratova’s cinema, sprinkles idiosyncrasies into the plot here and there that contribute to a charming experience – such as the strange, imaginary scenes in the white room that Merey invents and which she engages in when something upsets her. This increases the visual expressiveness in an otherwise Kill Bill type of narrative, and even the most horrific events are far from explicitly depicted on screen. On the other hand, Korotko’s intention to create a bold juxtaposition between Merey’s complex female psyche and the male perception of women as mere prey is quite transparent – she looks, speaks and acts with a subtle tone of silent disobedience that contrasts with the predetermined, tailored-to-please behavior of the hookers, the overall aggressive male posturing and even the hesitant behavior of her suitor, whom she describes as “a lonely boy desperate for the approval of a male collective.” Such a literal dichotomy, along with Merey’s monologue on the Darwinian concept of power towards the end for anyone who hasn’t understood the general critical attitude towards the subject, makes the film sound declarative. Inzhu Abeu’s enigmatic face, which contains in its expression an unadulterated curiosity about the world and inspires hope despite the underlying sadness, along with DoP Aigul NurbulatovaThe soft images, shaped by subdued lighting, keep you staring at the screen in awe until the end.
Grilling, it’s your turn was produced by the French Caractères Productions and the Kazakh Seven Rivers. Cercamon is responsible for international distribution.
