Three by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s movies entice with their gorgeous Turkish landscapes—all rolling hills and golden light—and that enchantment then primes us to delve into his landscapes of the soul. A proud humanist of the old school, Ceylan tells stories of longing, guilt, and introspection that are populated with a novelistic sweep and filmed with a rich beauty (not to mention those impressive long takes). It’s no surprise that Turkey’s leading filmmaker and Cannes regular is a lover of Russian literature, sounding echoes with its tortured souls. But these thoughtful films are always firmly rooted in the all-too-recognizable habits and impulses of his flawed characters.
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Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan | 157 mins | 2011
Against the majestic Turkish countryside, a roaming police investigation reveals more about the investigators and the tragicomedies of everyday life than about the foggy facts of the case. Ceylan’s gorgeously shot, masterfully paced story has a nove... -
Three Monkeys
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan | 105 mins | 2008
Ceylan’s unsettling noir sets up a doomed love triangle between a corrupt politico, his chauffeur who takes the rap for his crimes, and his lover—who happens to be his chauffeur’s wife. A work of true stylistic bravura, the shifting story deploys sk... -
The Wild Pear Tree
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan | 188 mins | 2018
An aspiring writer comes back to the village where he was born only to find that he can’t escape the debts owed by his father. Quintessentially Chekhovian, the beautifully shot story captures the ache and the ironies of the young man’s predicament, ...
