FASCINATING DEPICTION OF LIFE IN RURAL TURKEY & ITS EFFECTS ON RESIDENTS
April 1, 2024
DIRECTOR NURIL BILGE CEYLAN HAS GIFTED AUDIENCES WITH A FASCINATING DEPICTION OF WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF RURAL ANATOLIA. THE LEAD CHARACTER, SAMET (DENIZ CELILOGUU) & HIS ENDLESS YEARNING TO GO TO ISTANBUL REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF CHEHKOV'S "THE THREE SISTERS" & THEIR CONSTANT YEARNING TO GO TO MOSCOW. (THE PROGRAMMERS AT THE CINEMA VILLAGE WOULD DO THEIR AUDIENCES A BIG FAVOR IF THEY GAVE A SCREENING OF THE BRILLIANT 1966 FILM IN WHICH KIM STANLEY PLAYED MASHA). AND THE SCENE IN WHICH NURAY (MERVE DIZDAR) TELLS SAMET THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE HIS PROBLEMS BEHIND HIM IF HE WENT TO ISTANBUL INFORMS US ABOUT HOW DELUSIONAL SAMET CAN BE ABOUT DEALING WITH HIS PROBLEMS & ALSO ABOUT HOW SENSIBLE A PERSON NURAY IS, AND THE LATTER IS ILLUMINATED EVEN MORE BY MS. DIZDAR'S TENDER TONE WHEN SHE TELLS HIM THAT. THIS SCENE- & THE STRUGGLING, BUT RESILIENT TONE THAT MS. DIZDAR USES WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE LOST HER LEG IN A TERRORIST ATTACK- CERTAINLY MAKES IT OBVIOUS WHY SHE WON THE PALME D'OR AWARD AT ANNES. (I JUST WISH THAT SHE COULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR, & ALSO THAT THIS FILM COULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR EITHER BEST FOREIGN FILM OR BEST FILM). MR. CELILILOGUU ALSO PROVIDES US WITH SAMET'S FRUSTRATION AT HAVING TO WORK IN ANATOLIA INSTEAD OF ISTANBUL WITH THE HARSH TONE HE USES WHEN SAMET COMPLAINS TO HIS STUDENTS ABOUT HOW HE HAS TO LISTEN TO THEM COMPLAIN ABOUT BEING BULLIED & WITH THE WAY SAMET OVERREACTS WHEN A STUDENT OBJECTS TO THE MORE POPULAR STUDENTS ALWAYS BEING CALLED ON FIRST. AND, IN THE SCENES WITH ONE OF THE FEMALE STUDENTS, SEVIM (ELEI BAGLI), WE GET TO SEE A COMPASSIONATE SIDE OF SAMET WHEN HE TALKS SWEETLY TO HER,, & ALSO AN INSENSITIVE SIDE TO HIM WHEN HE IS SO UNMOVED ABOUT HER DISTRESS OVER HIS TAKING OF A LETTER THAT SHE HAD WRITTEN. WHEN WE LATER LEARN THAT SHE HAS MADE FALSE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT HIM, WE CAN DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND WHY SHE HAS MADE THESE CLAIMS. (THAT SAME ISSUE WAS ALSO HANDLED VERY SENSITIVELY IN ANOTHER FILM THAT PLAYED AT THE CINEMA VILLAGE, "MONSTER," & IN AN EXCELLENT BRITISH PLAY CALLED "THE HUNT" THAT WAS PRESENTED AT ST ANN'S WAREHOUSE IN BROOKLYN). I ALSO LOVED THE WAY THAT MR. CEYLAN, & HIS CINEMATOGRAPHERS, KUESAT URESIN & CEVAIR SAHIN, MADE THE LANDSCAPE OF ANATOLIA SO MUCH A PART OF THE STORY. IT REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF HOW INGMAR BERGMAN & HIS CINEMATOGRAPHERS MADE THE RURAL PARTS OF SWEDEN PART OF THE STORY IN FILMS LIKE "AUTUMN SONATA" & "THE SEVENTH SEAL." I JUST HOPE THAT THE PROGRAMMERS AT THE CINEMA VILLAGE WILL FIND A WAY TO SCREEN MORE OF MR. CEYLAN'S FILMS. IT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER IF THEY COULD FIND A WAY TO HAVE HIM GIVE A Q & A AFTER ONE OF THOSE SCREENINGS!
