Hey folks, Harry here... Simple stories of culture and times, too often they're overlooked for the larger spectacles. I would have killed for THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST to win the Best Foreign Film at this past Oscar Ceremony. I loved it that much. Simple stories sometimes reach in and pull more truth than all the plot twists in the world. Let's see more CANNES REPORTS FOLKS! If you're there, let's hear from ya!!!
Hey Harry, figured I quickly write a short word on Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Uzak (Distant) which is currently in competition in Cannes - this is a film, that even by Turkish film standards (note from conscience-there is no film sector in Turkey!! Oops, sorry.) was very low budget, and it played in theaters for barely 3 weeks in its home country- on the other hand, Ceylan and his film received every major Turkish film award through the year. Looking at the current buzz in Cannes, it seems that its being mostly ignored, with more widely known directors and their films stealing the starlight.
The film handles a photographer who lives in Istanbul, and a relative of his that visits him from his small country town- the title is basically a summary of the film, as it's basically about the relationship between the city and the country, the ethical, tradional difference between them, and how the characters interactions between these two elements and how they relate or are alienated by them.
The city characters mother calls him from the country, yet he barely reacts- what good will it do? There's such a distance between them. The country relative walks the streets of Istanbul, watching the more liberally dressed women in the town, yet not being able to connect to them.
The story is, as you see, very simple, and Ceylan handles it very justly. The film, like most great works of art is not intellectual but intelligent, and Ceylan's film resembles the works of Tarkovsky and Kieslowski, but more grounded in reality- you can feel that the economic recession four years ago affected the film. The cinematography is excellent, with the beautiful city of Istanbul photographed in snowy weather. Ceylan's film resembles the work of Kiarostami, more so, Tarkovsky (there are references to the Russian director within the film).
The film, in style is very minimalist, which along with the (disappointing) films of Zeki Demirkubuz seems to be a current trend in Turkish cinema. That in it self is rather perplexing- if anybody ever asked me "Which country would you define as surreal?" I would confidently answer "Turkey". If Dali or Bunuel had ever come to Istanbul and just looked around they'd probably say something like "Well, I couldn't have made it better." It's probably the cinematic connection with neighbouring country Iran. Or perhaps its this stupid intellectual discourse that's touring western countries right now that films from Muslim countries (Turkey is mostly Muslim) have to be minimalist or something. I don't know.
On another note, I don't really know why, the film gave me the sense that I was watching a student film sometimes, but I quickly dispersed with that idea- you can feel that the director is very confident with the material at hand.
Question is, I'm writing this, but will this little gem ever reach the states? And even if so, would American audiences care? Studying in Buffalo, NY and actually interacting with Americans, I can easily reimagine this film in America, with the farmboy visiting his relative in NY city. Hell, I have friends in the States like the country man in the film. I was happy to see that such a beautiful little film was finally chosen to represent the country in Cannes, and I hope that it goes further, but for some reason or the other, I think the farthest this film will get is a week or two in New York city, with a little rave in the Village Voice that no one will read.
This is Ekrem Serdar, signing off.
Sofia, Bulgaria.
darthbaney@hotmail.com
p.s- Buffalonians! Visit Access Community between Northrup and Winspear. Or visit our website at AccessCommunity. Starting end of August IÃll be hosting film nights in our space. See you there!
