CRITICAL REVIEW
Kara Fistik Director: Nesli Erten Category: Animation Short Film
Nesli Erten’s “Kara Fistik” is not for the lazy viewer. The live-action/hand-drawn hybrid short, Erten’s MFA thesis project at the University of Southern California, employs a morphing sort of animation to connect each of its perplexing, commanding images. The lack of cutting in “Kara Fistik” (afforded by Erten’s flowing style), the lack of a clearly defined protagonist, and the lack of easy-to-digest visual content all encourage viewers to abandon conventional expectations for animation and to adopt a more inquisitive viewing attitude instead.
Inquisitive is good, because there’s a lot to unpack in “Fistik.” The more time you spend with the short, the richer it becomes. It seems that Erten would like the viewer to wade through the imagery alone, at least on the first viewing, because a quote which contextualizes all the images of the female body doesn’t appear until the end of the film. An explicit spoiler, then, would go against Erten’s intentions; so, I’ll settle to say it may be helpful to see “Kara Fistik” as a love letter to (and also made by) the freedom of female body parts.
“...a love letter to (and also made by) the freedom of female body parts.” For those of you who have seen the short and rewatch: Pay close attention to the black figure struggling to liberate herself from a female body which wants to stay closed. After letting out a defeated cry, the body expels her. Then, she (and a friendly set of Fallopian tubes) reaches out toward the viewer to pull him or her back into the female body, to see it in a new, liberated light. There’s something to be said about Erten’s Turkish background and the subtle inclusion of women in hair coverings toward the beginning of “Kara Fistik.” (Any thorough understanding
of this short would evaluate the situation of women and modesty in Turkey and in Islamic culture at large, something which I do not have time for at the moment.) The film, then, is more of an expression of political and sexual belief than it is of storytelling. There’s nothing wrong with that: it’s simply a smart, personal piece of animation which requires a smart, personal viewer. (Briefly, on style: the hand-written font and sketch-like flow of the film work well together. The result is something very distinctive and, appropriately, personal. The sudden disappearance of the soundtrack once we reenter the newly empowered woman’s body is too jolting.) BY DRAYTON BENEDICT
DRAYTON BENEDICT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CRITICAL STUDIES MAY 14, 2014