Initially,
they seem to be some kind of secret society, but the elites who gather at a
dilapidated villa are actually far more sinister. They must be nefarious,
because they all travel in black Range Rovers. We can have confidence in our
assessment of their malicious intentions, because nothing will get lost in
translation during the course of Hasan Can Dagli’s dialogue-free (but not
silent) short film Black Ring, which
screens during the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2017, an
Oscar-qualifying festival.
Arguably,
the lack of verbal communication makes the set-up even more unsettling.
Clearly, these people have gathered in the middle of nowhere for evil purposes.
We might guess where Dagli is taking his narrative—sort of an Eyes Wide Shut twist on one of the most
notorious urban legends. However, there is also a pronounced element of class
consciousness.
Dagli
cranks up the tension to eleven and shows a mastery of horror mise en scene.
This film will really get under viewers’ skin—maybe even undercutting their
general faith in humanity. In terms of craftsmanship, Dagli (also serving as
his own editor) and cinematographer Olcay Oguz display some hugely impressive
chops.
Still,
we can’t help wonder how this film has been received in Turkey. It is hard to
believe a horror filmmaker would have much affinity for Erdogan’s intolerant Islamist
ideology and increasingly authoritarian regime. Much like Putin, Erdogan’s prime
partisans would be older, uneducated, fundamentalist rural nationalists. He
probably finds little support among highly educated, affluent, Westernized, artsy
hipsters. Yet, that is exactly the demographic Black Ring casts as sadistic predators.
