Revenge of the Snakes

Despite the quasi-Soviet Realist opening shots of a peasant family in harmony with one another and their earth, it's clear soon enough that this is an everyday story of country folk replete with adulterers, miscarriage, unscrupulous local politicos, ritual honour codes and land feuding. When Haceli is given permission to build a house in the commonly owned village square, the owner of the facing dwelling, Bayram (or rather his powerful mother), decides to halt it by any means necessary. Cranking up the trouble as the whole community becomes embroiled, the film is perhaps overlong, but it's nevertheless a serious attempt to deal with land rights, rural education and corruption. Well caught in striking b/w, with actual and metaphorical serpents providing a fabular element that underscores the timeless conflicts. (From a novel by Fakir Baykurt.