Distant
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Movie Reviews of Distant
Movie Review: patience-demanding art film
Summary: 3 Stars
More mood piece than actual drama, the appropriately titled "Distant" is an emotionally detached Turkish film that brings new meaning to the term "minimalist storytelling." What little story it does tell involves an unemployed man from the provinces who comes to Istanbul in search of a job. While there, he stays with his cousin, a divorced professional photographer, who prefers to lead a life of drab solitude rather than interrelate with his fellow man. Naturally, having this rube from the country suddenly show up on his doorstep does not sit well with the life and style of this virtual hermit.
Since this is, essentially, a film about a lack of communication, it is understandable that very little of the screen time is devoted to characters interacting with one another. Instead, long stretches of the movie are taken up in showing us characters wandering through the stark snow-covered landscapes of wintry Istanbul or sitting in dreary rooms either alone or with other people who are equally cut off from those around them. "Distant" has much of the feel of an Antonioni film, in that the beautifully composed and photographed background comes to predominate over the people in the foreground, a visual correlative to mankind's ennui, alienation and angst. As a director, Nuri Bilge Ceylon (who also wrote the film) uses the camera almost as an artist does his canvas, painting icily beautiful pictures of the world around him. Ceylan's unhurried, deliberate pacing becomes strangely hypnotic as he dwells on one extraordinary image after another. Most of the film is spent concentrating on the mundane, day-to-day activities of these two passive, largely nonverbal individuals. The film may drive some people mad with its lack of drama and action, but those able to appreciate its almost Zen-like rhythm and mood will find the movie intriguing. There's an extraordinarily surreal shot of a docked tanker listing precariously towards port that is alone worth the price of admission (or rental fee).
For some, "Distant" may be little more than an art film with a capital "A," but those with the patience to go beyond the obvious will relish its uniqueness.
Movie Review: Slow-paced slice-of-life drama
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a very slow-paced look at lives of quiet desperation in modern Istanbul. I have to admit being a little disappointed after reading how many awards this Turkish film, written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, won. It is, to be sure, well-acted and photographed, but I'm afraid there was not enough going on to keep me interested for most of it. Photographer Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir) leads a rather dull, routine existence, and has not recovered from his divorce. When his younger cousin Yusef (Mehmet Emin Toprak) arrives in town without a job or place to stay, Mahmut's predictable existence is threatened. Mahmut feels obligated to let Yusef stay in his apartment, but he is clearly not overjoyed at the prospect. At first the two are cordial, if not friendly to one another, but Yusef soon gets on Mahmut's nerves. All of this is portrayed in a series of low-key, often dialogue-free scenes. Most of what we know about Mahmut's state of mind comes not from anything he says or does, but by his melancholy expression and the overall aura of anomie he exudes. Yusef, in turn, soon feels isolated in the big city, where he is unable to find a job. He takes to following around women, who seem oblivious to his existence.
The above pretty much summarizes the movie. There are a couple of arguments between the two roommates, but in general everything is understated and implied. Distant is moody and atmospheric, and captures something authentic about the loneliness of some single people in large cities. Unfortunately, the melancholy mood and slow pace of the film makes it not very accessible or entertaining. Neither of the characters are particularly likable or unlikable; we only know them from their mostly silent and resentful interaction with one another. The city itself is made to appear dull, gray and unappealing (the film takes place during a snowy winter). We can deduce from a few scenes that Istanbul is a populated and lively city, but we are forced to look at it through the eyes of these discontented men. Certainly a well done film, but not one I found especially powerful or memorable.
Movie Review: Reality Viewing for the Ordinary
Summary: 3 Stars
The only thing more boring than watching TV is watching others watch TV, which is in large part what you'll be doing in viewing "Distant". But that's not to say it's a terrible film. As someone else suggested, it's more of a mood piece than a plot-driven story. And speaking for myself, late at night I just want to wind down, rather than be overstimulated. No need to worry about rude awakenings from loud gunfire and the like here. Instead what we have is a middle-aged divorced photographer (Mahmut) in Istanbul who reluctantly takes in a distant relative (Yusef) who is seeking employment. Yusef appears to be basically good-natured, but his isolation in a strange city, sharing an apartment with a sullen man, prevents him from taking much initiative in human interaction.`And since Mahmut is not exactly Mr. Personality, the "plot" goes nowhere. That's just reality folks; if your life is dull and you want to hold a mirror up to it, have I got a movie for you! (And for an added bonus, you can catch a glimmer of Istanbul.)Movie Review: Man in his cave
Summary: 2 Stars
The director of DISTANT reportedly used his own apartment as the primary set, his own belongings, e.g. his personal car, as props, and a friend and a cousin as the two principal characters. Such dedication to the creative impulse deserves more than I can bestow.
Here, a divorced professional photographer, Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir) lives a reclusive life in an Istanbul suburb, his only contact with the rest of the species being an occasional tryst with a prostitute. One day, his cousin from the country, Yusuf (Emin Toprak), arrives in the Big City. Yusuf's father has recently been laid off from his job, and Yusuf is hoping to land a berth on one of the merchant ships that docks in Istanbul to help pay for his ailing mother's health care. Thinking that his relative will soon be set up on his own, Mahmut invites the young man to stay with him. But, as the latter's hopes for employment shrivel in a dried-up job market and his habitation with Mahmut is extended, the tension between the two increases due to Mahmut's smoldering resentment at the intrusion on his space.
Had DISTANT been written as a comedy, such as the American film THE ODD COUPLE, or had it been made edgier with a violent end, it would've been worth the viewing time. Rather, it's a slow-moving, unengaging exercise that peters out to an unremarkable conclusion.
The only surprise in this film for me was the revelation that Istanbul, at sea level in a temperate clime, experiences snow in the winter. Who would've thought?
Movie Review: Bored, Bored and Bored in Wintry Instanbul
Summary: 1 Stars
No hope. Life means nothing. Idling loser relative shows up and is a pain in the ass.Old mother get sick. Dreary exwife departs for Canada.You watch people think for endless minutes. This director must be an ARTISTE. Funny that the cover of the DVD matches a scene in the movie except that minarets are added to the background. Now that is high art.