Nuri Bilge Ceylan gives lonely people time to become interesting without making them explain themselves. We value the dry humour and close attention; we are less persuaded when a long pause merely repeats what the acting has already told us.
Fi1m perspective
In Distant (2002), Ceylan keeps watching two lonely men after a brisker film might have moved on. Their small exchanges and the comedy of their relationship matter more than any fluent account of why they are unhappy. We were moved by Distant, because its small details let us understand two men who never become eloquent about their unhappiness. This is Ceylan worth seeking out, though his willingness to wait for something to happen occasionally exceeds ours.
The early films were made with family and friends, with Ceylan taking on several jobs himself. The Small Town (1997) and Clouds of May (1999) lead to Distant, on which he was director, writer, producer and cinematographer. His background in still photography helps explain the care of the compositions. Wide views of rooms and landscapes give gestures and expressions time to register, rather than insisting that dialogue account for everything.
In Distant, that care is matched by performances subtle enough to make the silence absorbing. Ceylan and his co-editor Ayhan Ergürsel leave space around the men, but sometimes keep a scene going after it has told us enough. We do not need a confrontation; we do need the next pause to reveal something the previous one did not. Some of the symbolism is blunt, too, a weakness in a film otherwise so good at letting us notice things for ourselves. The dry humour helps, keeping their company bearable even when the pace begins to drag.
With Climates (2006), Ceylan moved towards professional crews and actors; it also began his collaboration with cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki. The later films make more room for talk. Winter Sleep (2014) builds lengthy conversations around social and moral tensions, while The Wild Pear Tree (2018) brings that approach to father-son friction in a provincial setting. This is a substantial change from the sparse speech of Distant, though the interest in difficult company remains. More dialogue does not necessarily solve the old problem of staying with a scene too long.
Start with Distant, provided a quiet evening does not have to mean an easy one. Its humour is an important part of the recommendation. Give Ceylan time, but there is no obligation to admire every minute he takes.
Biography
Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and producer. Born in Istanbul on 26 January 1959, he studied engineering at Boğaziçi University and film at Mimar Sinan University.
Ceylan wrote, directed, produced, shot and edited his breakthrough feature Distant (2002), which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. His later films include Climates (2006), Three Monkeys (2008), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011), Winter Sleep (2014), which won the Palme d'Or, The Wild Pear Tree (2018) and About Dry Grasses (2023). Five of his films have been selected as Turkey's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
He is married to filmmaker, photographer and actress Ebru Ceylan, with whom he co-starred in Climates.
