‘Sayara’ Is Harrowing Revenge Horror That’s Ruthless & Relentless [Review]

Revenge stories are one of horror’s most popular sub-genres that range from arthouse endeavors, to gritty grindhouse fare, to pulpy “torture porn” and everything in between. Turkish filmmaker Can Evrenol, who previously struck gold with the surreal and suffocating Baskin and Housewife, tries his hand in this territory and strikes a rich vein that bleeds deep. Sayara explores the same themes of family, forgiveness, trauma, and redemption that were present in his previous films. However, this hits even harder since the film’s opening text claims that this is all based on true stories. Sayara is a bloody baptism that leads to its titular character’s rebirth. It’s also one of 2024’s most savage movies, horror or otherwise.

Sayara delivers a potent one-two punch of brutality and provoking social commentary that thrives through its moving character work. Sayara (Duygu Kocabiyik) is a janitor at a martial arts gym who is content to keep her head down and soldier ahead through an unfair world. Family – in particular, her relationship with her sister, Yonca (Özgül Kosar) – is Sayara’s only life preserver that keeps her from sinking into the abyss. She’s an empathetic character who is frequently on the precipice of darkness, which creates powerful tension during the film’s first act. Sayara is at war with society’s expectations and their accompanying conformity.

It’s appropriate that Sayara begins with a scene where a stuffed animal is lit ablaze, which becomes a metaphor for Sayara’s lost and abandoned innocence. Similarly, innocuous expository scenes play out, only the sound of rabid dogs in the background becomes increasingly pronounced. It’s like the whole world is full of feral creatures that are ready to snap and Sayara is just the latest example. Sayara