If you are very sensitive and emotional I guess this is not the right movie, because Ive read in a forum where lots of members in that forum expressed their views that they cried after watching the movie and this movie was in their mind for many days and more over many said that whenever they think of this movie they cried and it is really a touching movie.
So friends lets discuss the story about the Kurdish film called "TURTLES CAN FLY".From my point of view this movie doesn't made me cry rather it brought me into picture about the disastrous effect of war and that too the important theme of the movie is that, whoever may fight in a war, but the ultimate result due to the war is the suffering of innocent people and children.
I also understood that we are gifted in a sense and we are don't realise how peacefully we are living in this part of the world and it is only these people, who always ready to say "NEVER SAY NO TO PEACE" as they are waiting for every second for peace.Really when we think of the situation our heart breaks and moreover we are pushed into a situation that we are forced to do anything for these people.
Friends befoe reading this article to know the information about the film you can click the below links
i)General information about the film
Well, when we discuss about the film the film starts in a a different way where a young girl tries to commit suicide.And after this scene we are taked directly to a Kurdish village at the Iraq - Turkish border where cars just cross both the borders.
Then we see group of boys in that village just adjusting their antennas and they are guided by the people from their home so that they could adjust according to the correct direction and get the signal.Now we are going to meet a character called "Satellite" and I assure you friends he is such a wonderful character and you can't see a similar character like this in any of the movies you have watched.
His actual name is Soran but people call him as "Satellite" because he is the guy who usually install antennas in the nearby villages of the border.He also got the experience from his father and in this film they doesn't show any of their relatives and he acts like a leader for all the orphanage children who came there as refugee,and indeed he is a very kind and good leader and all the children loves him.
Usually the children there used to take the landmines and they will earn money by selling them.Satellite is the boss for allow them and he also advices him to take care while they take the land mines.He separate the jobs for them and allot different fields for different team.He also asks them to take the American Land mines.
Then it is also shown that the elder member of the village Esmaeel, who was fed up as he didn't get any image in the TV and he also says that Sadaam Hussein was responsible for all the discomforts,i.e no water, no electricity and no TV's.He blames Sadaam and leaves that place.
Then in the next scene, Satellite was approached by a young girl with a small boy on her back.
She also asked him for a 3 meter rope.So Satellite goes to Pashow, who was one of the assistant and close friend of Satellite, to get the three meter rope and Pashow( he has lost one of his leg) inform him that she was none other than a Halabcheh girl,Agrin, who came to that refugee came the previous day and she also came with a brother,Hengov, who was armless yet he can hit other and make them bleed with the help of his head.This girl Agrin was always very sad.
Then Satellite gets the rope and gives it to Agrin and from that moment he has a soft corner for Agrin.Then Satellite asked Esmaell why they haven't used the satellite dish in their village.So after that both Esmaeel and Satellie travels in a truck and they were going to the nearby city Arbil to get the satellite dish for the village so that they could hear news about the war and also about Sadaam Hussein.
On their way to the city the truck was stopped by an old man who was travelling to Arbil and he also said he was a Iranian Kurd and he was also a doctor.The old man also said that he was in search of an orphan and he thinks that he would be Arbil.
The reason why he is chasing that boy is that he can predict the future and with the help of him he could make money with him.Another important character in this movie is Shirkooh who is also the assistant of Satellite and he is very loyal to him and also cries often.He usually asks the meaning of the English words that Satellite use.
Then Satellite and Esmaeel reaches Arbil and they go to a shop to buy the satellie.The shopkeeper said that it would be very high of about 2000 - 2500 dinars.So Satellite gives away 15 radios he has and also some 500 dinars to buy the Satellite.They bought the Satellite and took it to their village.
Then he finds Pashow in the village who was working to get the mines.Actually on that day Satellite asked them to work in Karim's land(Karim character is not shown in the movie), but he was shocked to see all were working in another mine.When he investigated Pashow said that Hengov asked them to work there as it contained lot of mines.
Pashow was also surprised to know how Hengov could correctly locate the place.Pashow also said Satellite he had got more land mine and he has got three day's profit in a single day.Pashow also said that the armless boy uses his mouth to remove the land mines.
But Satellite asked him why all were not working on American mines, Pashow replied that Hengov said both American and Italian mines are same and Hengov also said that whoever oppose his statement were a lier.So Satellite gets angry and startsquarreling with Hengov, and Hengov hits Satellite with his had which resulted in Satellite's nose starts bleeding.Satellite says in an anger that he forgives Hengov only because of his sister Agrin.
Then next comes the very exciting and humorous part of the movie when Satellite fixes the dish in the Esmaeel house.Satellite also says the statement to the people of village that there is nothing to worry as he will take care of everything.Esmaeel also asks Satellite not to show prohibited TV channels.Satellite fixes the dish and by this time the entire village has gathered near Esmaeel village.
Again Satellite said no need to worry until he was there and asked them to go to their houses as he will inform the news through the Mosque's microphone so that all can ear the news.He also slaps Shirkooh on his head as Shirkooh was tuning and asked him to get the microphone from the Mosque.Shirkooh was vey innocent and we will definitely feel when he gets beating.But Shirkooh likes Satellite very much and considers him as the hero.
Then Satellite starts to tune the TV and some 5 eldersmost people and also the Governor was eagerly waiting for the news.While he was tuning, Esmaeel agains warn him not to show prohibited channels and the exact opposite happens and some channels which are prohibited also shown when he was tuning the channels.
Finally he gets CNN channel.Ive watched the news clearly and I also found in the scroll bar of the news channel mentioning Indian Pm "Atal Bihari Vajpayee" and the director made sure he did everything perfect because when the film was release Mr.Manmohan Singh was the PM.Really the job done perfect.
Then Satellite sees the news and Bush was giving a speech.He couldn't understand and when Esmaeel asks what he was speaking, Satellite said that he was just saying that it will rain the next day.Again he replies the same when he was asked the same question by Esmaeel.
That night in the came Hengov find the small boy which his sister carries every time was missing and meanwhile the child was standing near the fence at the border of Iraq and Turkey.At this time Pahow and Satellite found the child and they rescued him and took the child to Hengov.
Meanwhile the Satellite's cycle was taken by Esmaeel, because they want Esmaeel to come and translate the news.Salellite actually left the cycle near the border and he took the child to return to Hengov.At that time Esmaeel came and he beat Shirkooh and took the cycle.Shirkooh explains what happened to Satellite as he cried.Really great acting performance by Shirkooh and very innocent to watch.Hats off to Shirkooh.
After all the friends of Satellite goes to Esmaeel house and got the cycle.They also got the message of Esmaeel's apology.Even that time Esmaeel slapped Shirkooh and this time he slapped him twice saying that it was his ration tommorrow.After getting the bike Satellite inform all that next day they will work in the shell field.
The next day all begin to work in getting the empty shell from the trucks and arranging them on the field.At that time Pashow came and informed Satellite that Hengov said to evacuate all as something was going to happen.Immediately Satellite requested all to get down from that truck and when it was evacuated a blast occurs in that truck.
After some days Masks were supplied to all the people, to be used in case of any chemical attack.Satellite demonstrated how to use it and he also sends Shirkooh to give a mask to Agrin.He also said to inform her that he will get another mask for that small boy.
The next day Agrin separates the work to all the people and also bargains with the dealer regarding the rate of a single land mines.
At that time he finds Agrin was struggling to get water from ponds and so he helps her.Then on their way he also shows another pond and explains that it was in this pond three children get drowned and he also tried to rescue them but in vain and also said he found red fishes.He also promised that he will get the red fish one day.
After that in tent it was shown that Argin was very arrogant with the small boy.Till this time we all think that it was their brother, but later in the film they reveal that it was the child of Agrin.She never likes the child as she was raped by soldiers several years ago.He also asks his brother Hengov to leave the child and they can move from that place.
Meanwhile Hengov gets angry as he loves the child and he takes the child and leaves the place and he was accompanied by Satellite in a cycle and when he was travelling Hengov he dreams about the fall of Sadam Hussein.Then after sometimes Satellite return to the village and informs in a microphone that war will take place and all people are requested to move to the top of the hill.
Then American helicopters comes and they drop papers and in that papers it was mentioned they were their friends and they will make that place a paradise.
The next day Satellite decides to rent a couple of weapons.So he goes to the city and exchanges grenades for weapon.
Meanwhile Agrin takes her son (The small boys) and ties in a tree and the places surrounding the trees are full of land mines.
At the same time Satellite returns back and getting ready for any attacks.At that time he found that small boy was missing and he also locates the exact place.
He knew that the place was dangerous and moves closer to that boy very slowly and cautiously.But even though he was careful a small mistake make the land mine activates and he injures his leg.Even before Satellite enter this rescue operatinon, Shirkooh was pleading him not to go and the director also added good sense of humor as Shirkooh says other than Satellite why other can't go and also points at Pashow.Pashow was taken by surprise and said he was not interested to lose his another leg also.
After Satellite injures his leg he was taken back to village and he starts crying,Shirkooh who was very much fond of Satellite couldn't tolerate this and also started crying.After that Pashow informs that Hengov said that everything will over the next day.After this Satellite asks Pashow to go and ask Esmaeel to inform everyone that the war will come to an end nect day.
That night Pashow and Shikrroh comes to Satellite and informed him that they could see US army everywhere.Shirkooh also presents Satellite the Sadam's statue's arm which he took from the city and also a red fish to Satellite and said he got the red fish from the Americans.Shokrooh also informs that he was leaving the place with his uncle so that he could earn money in the city.
Meanwhile Hengov dreams that Agrin kills the child by tieing the child with the rock and pusing them into the pond tha Satellite earlier mentioned to her, which killed 3 children in past.At the same time the cover in which Shikrooh gave the red fish was dirty and Satellite understood the fish might have taken from the pond.
He understood that some child would have drowned in that pond and comes and dives into the pond to check about the child.Meanwhile Hengov also arrives and was crying and couldn't tolerate to know that the small boy was dead.Then he also goes to the top of the mountain and finds that his sister also commits suicide.Agrin suicide was the first scene of the film.
He was totally dejected and he also tells Pashow to inform Satellite that within 275 days another bad thing will happen to that village.The film finally ends when Pashow and Satellite watching the Americans Marching and at one point Satellite turns back and decides not to see it and he also leaves the place.
The reason why the director have kept this title was explained by the director of the film Baham Ghobadi as "In their long life, they(turtles) live partly on water and partly on land. This is symbolic for me of the joy and anguish and migration of the Kurds. The slow-moving turtle is like the Kurds: With all of our problems, we have managed to move forward, and we always end up upright"