Following her sister’s murder by affluent young men, Sayara decides to resolve the issue herself using the skills her father thought her.
Written and directed by Can Evrenol, director of Baskin and Housewife, Sayara is a revenge film with a strong female lead who starts off a bit meek and somewhat of a daydreamer. This in and of itself is something we’ve seen many times, usually in the rape-revenge subgenre which this kind of is. Here though, the lady doing the revenge has all her training well before the faithful events and makes violent use of them. The violence here is brutal and written to entertain but also make a point. The film juxtaposes the haves and the have-nots, showing the different lives of each of them and how not just money separates them. Here, the juxtaposition is not only in terms of financial classes, but also in terms of sex, education, culture, and a few more elements. Sayara and her sister are often othered and it does lead to resentment on both their parts but for different reasons. When the sister is killed, Sayara puts aside her issues with some of her sister’s choices and opts for the only option that makes sense to her, going with her training from her father and taking care of these powerful men who cannot believe a woman would ever dare. The writing here works in terms of the revenge film, some trigger warnings apply here for violent assault and mistreatment of women as well as for bloody fighting. The writing and direction of Sayara show a willingness to get in the viewers’ faces with violence, but also to make a point. However, even with the newer elements, the story does feel a bit overly familiar in its beats, from the killing of a loved one to the satisfying ending. It is a good film, but mostly meant for fans of the subgenre.
The cast here is good with Duygu Kocabiyik dominating the screen as Sayara from her first appearance to her last brutal seconds on screen. She is a solid actress and one to watch for. She works the nuances of grief and anger quite well and gives her character a solid backbone to support herself. Playing her sister is Özgül Kosar who plays the young woman looking for validation and love in the wrong places quite well. She does get a lot less screen time, but she makes the most of it. The cast of bad guys here is composed of Emre Kizilirmak, Caner Atacan, Dogan Baris Yasar, Batuhan Buyukacaroglu, and Levent Inal, who all do a convincing job that they are evil in insidious ways. The cast here is solid and does quite well with the difficult scenes and sequences, with most of them coming together at the end of the film for the violence-filled epilogue.
The cinematography by Umut Turan (and team) is great here, allowing the viewers into the universe created by the film, showing the action clearly, and never flinching while also not turning this whole affair into a completely lurid one. This is about Sayara and her revenge, not about the men doing their misdeeds which are kept mostly off screen thankfully. The editing here is by Evrenol and keeps the film moving smoothly and the action in heart-pounding. That finale is something that required intimate knowledge of the story and a fearless approach to not cut too soon.
Sayara is a revenge film done right, one that is in your face about some aspect without feeling as exploitative as many of its predecessors. There is a lot here and not all the violence is part of the revenge parts, so be warned. The film also shows a sisterly bond that is not perfect and all roses and happiness but one that shows that even in disagreement, sisters will have each other’s backs.