First of all I have to admit I never saw any film by Director Ceylan before 'Once Upon a Time in Anatolia'. But was I ever glad that I stumbled onto this remarkable film. His work will be on my radar screen from now on.
At over 150 minutes, and with little action and practically no musical score, this film may appear long for many. However, it had my attention for the entire length of the film. My interest to know more about each individual that formed the search party (the party was out trying to locate a dead body in the countryside at night), the stories behind each one of them, and what was beyond the obvious collectively glued me to the screen. Acting was first rate by all. Camera work was artistic and competent. Watching the film was like reading an interesting book in candle light - your eyes are strained but you still want to come to the end.
My only complaint is a good part of my attention was allocated to reading the subtitles, which can be fast at times, so I could not focus 100% on the acting and the images. To remedy that I had to watch it for a second time. I also share the sentiment from some reviewers on one particular scene - the emergence of the village head's young daughter to serve tea to all these weary male bodies, and the reaction by each as they looked up onto her kind and angelic face in surprise. This scene was very well timed and well done.
In summary, serious fan of international cinema should not miss this film. It is worth everyone of the 150+ minutes of your life.
At over 150 minutes, and with little action and practically no musical score, this film may appear long for many. However, it had my attention for the entire length of the film. My interest to know more about each individual that formed the search party (the party was out trying to locate a dead body in the countryside at night), the stories behind each one of them, and what was beyond the obvious collectively glued me to the screen. Acting was first rate by all. Camera work was artistic and competent. Watching the film was like reading an interesting book in candle light - your eyes are strained but you still want to come to the end.
My only complaint is a good part of my attention was allocated to reading the subtitles, which can be fast at times, so I could not focus 100% on the acting and the images. To remedy that I had to watch it for a second time. I also share the sentiment from some reviewers on one particular scene - the emergence of the village head's young daughter to serve tea to all these weary male bodies, and the reaction by each as they looked up onto her kind and angelic face in surprise. This scene was very well timed and well done.
In summary, serious fan of international cinema should not miss this film. It is worth everyone of the 150+ minutes of your life.