Dir: Abdullah Oguz
If you're in the right mood, this film has many charms, most of which take the form of gorgeous Mediterranean naturescapes. But just how often are you in the mood for a Turkish melodrama that begins with a bungled "honor killing" and ends with a couple hugging on the beach at sunset? The story - about a young Turkish shepherd girl who's been raped and left for dead, then punished by her ultra-traditional relatives for having besmirched the family name - is predictable all the way through, and emotions run high enough that some of the performances are unintentionally funny at times. But Ozgu Namal as the girl, Meryem, is outstanding; the film is worth seeing for her performance and for the camera's leisurely caresses of the landscape. There's also some interesting commentary about the traditional-vs-modern within Turkey. Bliss is the movie equivalent of a racy beach read (it's based on a novel by Zulfu Livaneli), just steamy enough and 'exotic' enough to make its obvious moral seem noble rather than tedious.
C+