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Mood:
- BleakGloomySincereAtmosphericContemplativeTouching
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Plot:
- Love and RomanceMind and SoulUnfulfillmentHuman NatureIntrospectionPsychologicalLooking for LoveParents and Children more...
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Genres:
- DramaForeign
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Time/Period:
- Contemporary21st Century
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Place:
- Middle EastTurkeyUrban
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Praise:
- Award WinnerCritically AcclaimedCannes Festival WinnerPrestigious Awards
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Attitudes:
- SeriousRealisticSlow
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Distant, 2002
Turkish
Turkey
Profile of Distant
The mood of Distant is bleak, gloomy, and sincere. The plot centers around themes of unfulfillment, love and romance, and themes of mind and soul. It is a drama and foreign movie. In approach, Distant is serious and realistic. The pacing is slow. It takes place, at least partly, in an urban environment. Distant is set in Turkey and the Middle East. It happens in contemporary times. The movie is known for being a Cannes festival winner and critically acclaimed.
Summary of Distant
Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Distant chronicles the numbing loneliness, longing, and isolation in the lives of two men who are consumed by their own problems. Istanbul photographer Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir) reluctantly receives his relative Yusuf (Mehmet Emin Toprak), but the mingling of their lives does little to alleviate their detachment. Mahmut's ex-wife is moving and Mahmut cannot deal with the residue of his feelings for her, and later, he must care for his ill mother. Yusuf unsuccessfully looks for work on a ship in hopes of seeing the world and having money left over for his family, but ends up wandering the city, failing to find the connection and inclusion he seems to desire. Despite a superficial effort by Mahmut to help by offering Yusuf a job on a photo shoot, their already distant relationship devolves into little more than sharing the same space, as neither can find a way to communicate at a deeper level.
Ceylan uses his significant cinematic talents to great effect with long, meditative shots that emphasize a mood of alienation and stagnancy. Wintry Istanbul becomes its own character, as its foreboding weather and stark industrial areas create a physical distance among the characters. Imbued with pathos, this film provides a complex character study that speaks to the need for human connection. Ceylan's cast is comprised of his relatives and friends, all nonprofessional actors, who turn in refined performances. Distant won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003.
Details
| Language: | Turkish |
| Country: | Turkey |
| Release date: | 29 August 2003 |
| Runtime: | 110 min |
| Awards: | Cannes |
Awards
Cast and Crew
as Mahmut
Photos
Critics Reviews
Los Angeles Times
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- by: Kenneth Turan
Entertainment Weekly
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- by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
