Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da

Genre

Drama

Director

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Run time

2h 27min

Cast

Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdoğan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Firat Tanış, Ercan Kesal

A murder has been committed and a man has confessed; all that remains is for him to lead police to the body so they can wrap the case. In the dead of night, two cars and a Jeep carrying the murderer, the police chief and the prosecutor set out to find the burial spot. As the small convoy inches its way through the darkness of the deserted countryside, it becomes clear that the killer can’t locate the place where he left his victim. Cigarettes are smoked; conversations occur and refresh ments are served in a local village; nothing significant seems to happen. Yet whether we are aware of it or not, small clues are being planted along the way. “Like a game of chess, the grand design of this subtle and disturbing film comes increasingly into focus as events progress. Things are not always as they appear to be, and in Kafka-like gestures, people, emotions and events are developed in different and deeper ways. ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA is ambiguous enough that we must concentrate on all the details of the canvas before the full story becomes apparent — or does it? A number of doors open teasingly, creating a labyrinthine world that mirrors our present incomprehension at so many contemporary events. What is truth and how we find it are some of the questions Ceylan raises in this superior exploration of a crime and its investigation.”

Piers Handling, Toronto FF

ВLACK NIGHTS RAINBOW - CULTURE PROGRAMME OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Genre

Drama

Director

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Run time

2h 27min

Cast

Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdoğan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Firat Tanış, Ercan Kesal

A murder has been committed and a man has confessed; all that remains is for him to lead police to the body so they can wrap the case. In the dead of night, two cars and a Jeep carrying the murderer, the police chief and the prosecutor set out to find the burial spot. As the small convoy inches its way through the darkness of the deserted countryside, it becomes clear that the killer can’t locate the place where he left his victim. Cigarettes are smoked; conversations occur and refresh ments are served in a local village; nothing significant seems to happen. Yet whether we are aware of it or not, small clues are being planted along the way. “Like a game of chess, the grand design of this subtle and disturbing film comes increasingly into focus as events progress. Things are not always as they appear to be, and in Kafka-like gestures, people, emotions and events are developed in different and deeper ways. ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA is ambiguous enough that we must concentrate on all the details of the canvas before the full story becomes apparent — or does it? A number of doors open teasingly, creating a labyrinthine world that mirrors our present incomprehension at so many contemporary events. What is truth and how we find it are some of the questions Ceylan raises in this superior exploration of a crime and its investigation.”

Piers Handling, Toronto FF

ВLACK NIGHTS RAINBOW - CULTURE PROGRAMME OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Info

Rating

(none)

Production year

2011

Global distributor

Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ

Local distributor

Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ

In cinema

11/18/2011