“Young filmmaker makes significant contribution to the global film industry by directing the controversial film Ebru”
‘EBRU’ – a quest for selfhood – begins as a controversial story that follows a young Muslim girl who – against her religion – indulges herself in the western nightlife. She returns home with a broken shoe heel. The next day she visits the shoe repair to fix her shoe.
Using a spare, minimalist visual style, Jennifer Merchant builds a stunning film which poses a stimulating series of questions on the nature of realism in cinema. Ceaselessly interweaving the personal and the political, EBRU offers an extraordinarily revealing look at the condition of a young teenage girl who is growing up between two cultures. A palpable sense of loneliness pervades this stunning film. EBRU is a rare example of true film poetry. The way Jennifer renders the film through a game of silences and looks gives the film its distinctive aspect.
The short film is Jennifer’s first collaboration with cinematographer Eduardo Ramirez Gonzalez, who is known for his work on the Netflix Hit Series ‘Narcos’. Ramirez contributed outstandingly to the film by giving the scenes a naturalistic, raw and real vibe. “We decided to keep the camera-work very subtle and not aggressive at all in its approach. The aim was to keep it as real as possible, because the film is about self-exploration.” Indeed; Ebru is shot as if it’s a documentary – with extreme close-ups that carefully capture the protagonist in her silent moments, allowing the audience the opportunity to be with the character’s inner thoughts.
Jennifer is making a significant contribution to the global film industry; being the first to take on a coming-of -age movie that deals with the headscarf-wearing teenager. So far there haven’t been any films with this genre.
The film tackles a current social issue which regards the ‘cultural gap’. In this instance; we focus the camera on a young Muslim girl from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Conflicted between tradition and modernity, Ebru lends a voice to the current generation of young Muslims growing up in West – European cities. The film ultimately aims to inspire youngsters to think as individuals regardless of their culture.
“To get a chance to visually find a way to tell this story was a thrill, a challenge and an honor. I started to wonder if I could find a way to make a film that would not hurt the message, and at the same time respect the religion and cultural belief. Constantly improvising in the moment; Eduardo always brought in his spontaneous creativity, whenever I would be stuck with my vision. Together with the team we created a breathing quality to the construction of the scenes. The journey into the story of Ebru is poetic and the sequence of shots had to introduce a way of storytelling that was both educational and entertaining as well as simple.” Jennifer notes.
Each scene was crafted and composed with a balance of form, color and symbolism. “The shoe store scene was quite important to us because the broken shoe is highlighted throughout the story as a symbol of Ebru’s broken identity.” When Ebru enters the shoe repair store to fix her shoe, the sequence delivers a perfect poetic depiction of how Ebru actually comes to get her life fixed. Thus, the shoe becomes a tactile visual material. Her relationship with the young shoemaker is a crucial component of the film as well, as he ultimately encourages Ebru to listen to her own voice. “Shoes mirror a person’s character by the way they are worn. I found it such a relatable object and that’s why I used it as the center piece of my film.”
While some of the shots addressed the loneliness head on, other scenes concern locations and characters that are part of Ebru’s past. The narrative ends on a high note as the final shot leaves the audience with a satisfying outcome. It reveals a girl who conquered her inner conflict, fully embraced her instincts and discovered a deeper level of individuality.
About Author
