I think it was Jean Paul Sartre who said: "Hell is other people." He was, of course, referring to relationships and no doubt of those between men and women, primarily.
Nuri Ceylan's film is about the breakdown of relationships to which all of us, probably, can readily relate (no pun intended). Essentially, the story is about a couple who separate – it's not clear if they are married – leaving the man, Isa (Nuri Ceylan) to go back to prior girl friends for solace while the woman, Bahar (Ebru Ceylan), goes off to do her thing in movie-making. Isa, however, tires of his loneliness and eventually tracks down Bahar in an attempt to entice her back, promising children, stability, loyalty etc.
Things don't quite go according to plan, however, as you will discover when you see this one.
As with the first of Ceylan's I saw, Distant (2002), there is a small cast of characters (note, for this story, he uses his real parents to play the parents of the character Isa), minimal dialog, long takes, medium to extreme close-ups, static camera shots – all now well-known techniques of this consummate director of commonplace stories that are not so commonplace when you get into them. And, no music sound track – only music you hear on radio or TV.
For me, apart from the direction, the most impressive aspect is the quality of the acting in this, in Distant and, more recently, Three Monkeys (2008). As I've said elsewhere, it's also a mark of an experienced and intuitive film-maker who knows exactly what he wants his actors to do, from a slight head motion, a cast of an eye, a slight frown and so on. Significantly, none of the characters are particularly likable, especially Isa who clearly shows the shallow depths of his persona on a number of occasions – a Ceylanian take on the state of humanity, I think, allowing me to speculate about whether Ceylan is somewhat misanthropic.
Frankly, anybody who's ever been in love should appreciate and understand the difficulties of this couple as they wrestle with their innermost feelings, doubts, dreams, and so on. Although, if you don't like slow-paced story-telling, you might not be able to take the long silences while a man and woman simply look at each other or, worse, avoid each other's gaze.
However, again for me, it's just a simple and voyeuristic pleasure to watch two people as they try to sort out their emotional lives – much as we all try to sort out the same each day of our own lives. It may be uncomfortable to behold sometimes, but, well, that's life, ain't it? And, sometimes a hell of a ride, no?
Give it a seven out of ten. Recommended for all except kids.
March 17, 2012.
Nuri Ceylan's film is about the breakdown of relationships to which all of us, probably, can readily relate (no pun intended). Essentially, the story is about a couple who separate – it's not clear if they are married – leaving the man, Isa (Nuri Ceylan) to go back to prior girl friends for solace while the woman, Bahar (Ebru Ceylan), goes off to do her thing in movie-making. Isa, however, tires of his loneliness and eventually tracks down Bahar in an attempt to entice her back, promising children, stability, loyalty etc.
Things don't quite go according to plan, however, as you will discover when you see this one.
As with the first of Ceylan's I saw, Distant (2002), there is a small cast of characters (note, for this story, he uses his real parents to play the parents of the character Isa), minimal dialog, long takes, medium to extreme close-ups, static camera shots – all now well-known techniques of this consummate director of commonplace stories that are not so commonplace when you get into them. And, no music sound track – only music you hear on radio or TV.
For me, apart from the direction, the most impressive aspect is the quality of the acting in this, in Distant and, more recently, Three Monkeys (2008). As I've said elsewhere, it's also a mark of an experienced and intuitive film-maker who knows exactly what he wants his actors to do, from a slight head motion, a cast of an eye, a slight frown and so on. Significantly, none of the characters are particularly likable, especially Isa who clearly shows the shallow depths of his persona on a number of occasions – a Ceylanian take on the state of humanity, I think, allowing me to speculate about whether Ceylan is somewhat misanthropic.
Frankly, anybody who's ever been in love should appreciate and understand the difficulties of this couple as they wrestle with their innermost feelings, doubts, dreams, and so on. Although, if you don't like slow-paced story-telling, you might not be able to take the long silences while a man and woman simply look at each other or, worse, avoid each other's gaze.
However, again for me, it's just a simple and voyeuristic pleasure to watch two people as they try to sort out their emotional lives – much as we all try to sort out the same each day of our own lives. It may be uncomfortable to behold sometimes, but, well, that's life, ain't it? And, sometimes a hell of a ride, no?
Give it a seven out of ten. Recommended for all except kids.
March 17, 2012.