Quest for Honor

I wasn't sure what to expect after seeing the short trailer in class, but I knew I was going to witness some pretty tragic stories and issues. QUEST FOR HONOR nevertheless was a sober look into the unjust world of 'honor killing' although beautiful stylistically.
I noticed that the structure of the film was pretty straight forward but had some challenges in presenting closure. The film mostly follows a main character (Runak Faraj) as she documents and explores the various honor killings in rural Kurdistan. Each scene was very distinct and between them were beautiful establishing shots. I was quickly reminded by the cinematography that Mary Ann Smothers Bruni had her roots in photography as mentioned during class. The end of the film lacked clear closure in some respects; however, Faraj's thoughts on her and her country's future in human rights activism at the end did provide for a sufficient closing moment.
She also was able to capture interesting themes implicitly. In an area made up of a traditional tribal society there also existed many modern artifacts like 'Americanized' advertising with risque images of women. This was never discussed explicitly but through the juxtaposition we can see the odds that are in play in the Middle East specifically in this region.
I also found the music in the film to be rather effective in terms of locale. During captivating shots of the landscape, the music would give a sense of place and even time. I'm always listening to the sound track of a film and on a personal note, I liked it. It was subtle (played a supporting role), appropriate (for the location and documentary), and unified in theme and purpose.
One of the most interesting things about this documentary is the level of access Bruni was able to obtain. She had said in the panel discussion after the film screened that she was very lucky in this respect and people generally wanted their stories told. Despite all the risks of speaking to a camera, the subjects told their stories. One particularly riveting moment was when a woman who had been the victim of an attempted homicide was told that the two people that she had seen shooting at her were released by the Judge due to insufficient evidence. This was the first time she had heard that news and the moment was captured on camera. You could see the trembling fear in her eyes. This moment like many others allows the viewer to see the gravity of the situation and the human element there in Kurdistan.