The Bliss Movie essay 
“Bliss” is a Turkish movie the original title of which is Mutluluk
It was realised in 2007 by Abdullah Oguz adapted from a novel of Zülfü Livaneli's. This picture tells a story of a girl named Mereyem which was raped by her own uncle and is considered to be plagued and dishonoured. According to the way of “handling those matters” she has to die in order to clean the reputation of the family. The cousin, who just came back from the military service, is chosen to kill her. He has to take the girl to Istanbul and get rid of her in a big city. As she is not registered, nobody would have a clue where she came from. Such cases are still reported by the papers and raise an important issue about the Honour Killing in Turkey.
Traditions are the roots of the national spirit of any community
They are considered to be the oldest and most important things in preserving the individuality of the nation. Repeating the oldest ways of leaving they are cherished because of their huge value to any concrete nation as being the former rules of leaving during the centuries. However, what about those traditions that had already drained out? Some traditions are considered to be not appropriate to the norms of modern life and human dignity. Honour Killing is one of them. It is shown as completely understandable thing in a world that exists on a boarder of our lives. Traditions that were raised on the roots of ignorance, illiteracy and fear cannot be maintained in a world where people fight each day for the improvement and worthy life for each person on a planet. There should be no place for demoralised community which is based on a blind subordination.
In “Mutluluk” is shown a very clear picture of the “silent woman”, which cannot even discover for herself what is going on around her. Blind believing that there is no other life and the truth that is being told to her is the only one leads her to suicide. All women around her just repeat the words and thoughts of the man to which there are subordinated. In their little world exists only a strict hierarchy and nobody is eager to question it. When Meryem is judged to leave the village, and “the only life she knows” (Bliss, 2007) the woman just joke around about that she is going to Istanbul. They know the meaning of the “so called trip”. The mass media illustrates examples of such cases when young, unknown woman makes a suicide and as nobody knows about them they just vanish from the world. In Turkey it is the only option to protect the honour of the family. Nobody is interested in changing the regulations concerning such a delicate issue. In the end of the movie the story gives us an explanation that the rapist is the one who wants to set a judgement upon the victim.
The modernisation process of Turkey has not changed the beliefs of the people and their habitual way of leaving. The main problem is that you cannot modernise a human mind. The dogmas that are filled in it from the birth are most likely to stay there forever, only generations can change on a bigger scale. Most likely these processes do not go in to the deep of the country. Mainly there are spread in the most popular and big places, in which it is easy to show them to the world. Also the tight and closed communities are not likely happy to accept new and unknown ways of behaviour. Everything different from a daily routine is thought to be dangerous. However, this is also a question of the fear. The heroes of the movie are afraid to come back to their homes because they did not abandon to the common order. The must hide from their families which are most likely also just afraid to go out of the margins of used order.
The issue of Honour killing, the silent woman and the subordination of woman to man are very important issues raised in the movie. The two heroes that are highly expressive in everything they demonstrate the world which we do not want to see. Cernal is the man who obeyed the orders. Meryem is a woman that is depicted as willingness and without fate. They both change during they common journey. They are supervised by a wise professor, who shows the way how to get along in this unusual for them world and they fall in love with each other.
It is was mentioned that several mechanism, organisations, and countries were set to prevent the mercy killing of a woman on the terms of protecting honour of the family. But it is the family, who dishonours women and leads to the act of violence. Modern cinema in Turkey has taken on itself a very powerful and respective task such as to reveal the reality of life of the population of the country. Besides, to show how human life is controlled by the community and old traditions and beliefs, to raise a question of deprived of rights women who are afraid to express themselves. It is truly a brave mission which is mostly accomplished with such movies as “Bliss”.
