Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

[This is a review of the film, not the Blu-Ray itself, which has not yet been released.]A beautifully shot, deliberately paced existentialist meditation on crime, relationships, and truth. Shot mostly in gorgeous long takes that take full advantage of the widescreen aspect ratio, the film requires (and rewards) patient viewing. The first half of the film, in which a late-night caravan of law enforcement officials drive two murder suspects to a series of nearly identical rural wells, looking for the location of a buried body, is brilliant. It echoes Waiting for Godot, as the seemingly endless search for the body fades into the background, and the focus turns to conversations about personal problems, petty bureaucracy, differing values, and the meaning of life. As the film continues, different members of the caravan wax and wane in importance, each offering a different perspective on life and one's place in the world. The final act of the film -- which occurs back in town the following day -- drags a bit, but contains powerful revelations.Despite it's subtle metaphysical explorations, this film is also a highly realistic police procedural. It is very faint praise to say that this film is the anti-CSI, but it's cynical views of truth and justice contrast starkly with TV procedurals. A vain prosecutor basks in his role and makes up facts for convenience, no one has remembered to bring a body bag (or a hearse) for the corpse, the gendarmes are more concerned about where municipal boundaries fall than anything else, a critical medical discovery is fudged, there are rumors the murder victim has been seen alive in neighboring towns, and nothing is wrapped up in an hour, let alone 150 minutes...This is a film for patient viewers who enjoy the liesurely-paced works of Malick, von Trier, Kiarostami, Tarkovsky or other auteurs of so-called Contemporary Contemplative Cinema.

Two and a half hours long, it better be good--I said to my dad, who recommended "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia". I expect all movies I watch to be like Lincoln or Gravity. So I watched Anatolia last night and I simply couldn't go to sleep until I finished watching it way past midnight. It was that enthralling.The movie begins against the gray backdrop of the Anatolian steppes and the bright orange headlights of cars meandering down a narrow road. The police have captured a murder suspect, who is trying to lead them to a body. When the sky turns pitch black and the suspect has problems identifying the location, the confusion leads to tragicomedic scenes and taut plot development begins in unexpected ways. Every scene pulls in the viewer deeper and deeper into the story, along with a side-story, to knot the interest.I was tempted to correct some of the subtitles, but all in all the translation is very good.

Please see it with NO reservations or pre conceived ideas. You will not be disappointed.

Very good movie. Slow but addictive!

The budget for making this movie went for feeding the production crew and little else. Having said that I can only remark that watching cars drive across the screen from afar can only be done so many times before you realize it is just a time filler/killer. The development of personalities slowly leads to a confrontation that left me saying, "So what?". If your goal is to witness the hopelessness of life in eastern Europe, then this is for you. The movie leaves you depressed and glad at the same time. Depressed for the lives of those people who inspired this movie. And, glad that it is over and you do not have to watch it again.

Story depends upon facial expressions, if you're interested in visual clues and moody visual terrain, you'll like it. Otherwise, be careful.

A haunting simplistic noir film at first glance... Requiring a second look to get at the underling story that hinges it all together...The NOIR PQ is beautiful...The SQ is what we have come to except from BLU-RAYS 2day...The Special Features are as average as the cover art...

"Winter sleep" is better. But this is still a good movie.

Be forewarned that this film attempts to tell a story in an authentic, almost real-time approach, which necessarily removes the sense of drama and excitement that many people expect in a movie.Personally, however, I found Ceylan's approach captivating. The result is more like epic literature than film. I think this has to do with the harmony between script, actors and photography. If we are going to be confronted with long takes of pensive, brooding faces, those faces had better be interesting and the photography had better be good. They are. The cinematography captures every nuance of the superbly reserved acting. For despite all the dialog (it is Ceylan's most "talkative" film to date), the spiritual depth captured by the camera remains mostly unspoken.Another reviewer called the film "atmospheric". I think that term sums it up well. This is emphatically not a "murder mystery" as a review quoted on the back cover claims. It is odd that New Wave Films have used such a misleading quote (which was probably taken out of context). People who watch it based on such a quote will be disappointed twice: not only is it not a murder mystery in the classic sense, i.e. a thriller that builds tension until the crime is solved, it is not really even a murder mystery at all because the film's central focus is a social-psychological portrait of a group of men, and not the crime itself which merely functions as a sort of loose framework.There are too many beautiful scenes to recount them all, but one of the most memorable takes place at the village mayor's home when the investigators show up ín the middle of the night and are treated to his warm hospitality. This scene brilliantly illustrates the local effects of the breakdown of traditional village societies in the wake of increasing urbanisation. What would you suppose is the connection between emigration and morgues?? The black humor inherent in the answer is exquisite -- and thoroughly believable.In sum, watch this if you love beautiful photography and phychological depth, but not if you are expecting some sort of thriller.The extras include a making-of and an interview with Ceylan at Cannes. The obtrusive interviewer has a tendency to interrupt or change the subject just at the point when things are getting really interesting, but nevertheless the interview provides interesting insights into Ceylan's creative process. The same goes for the making-of documentary, in which Ceylan's directing style is laid bare. Highly engrossing.

I was so looking forward to watching this, not just because of reviews but, for very personal reasons too. So, once it arrived, I waited till I could settle down without interruption & enjoy. I didn't realise it was a 2dvd, but only got half the story as dvd2 failed to load in both players. Have I missed our? I don't know, it's a shame I can't give a review on the whole story, but liked what I did see. There is humour, Turkish traditions & mannerisms so endearing to me as the characters travel through Anatolia at night, the events & personalities opening new avenues. Maybe one day I'll discover the outcome

Having seen 'Winter Sleep' with a friend at the Salisbury Arts Festival we were looking forward to watching this one.It is slow, not much happens, but the visuals are wonderful. The scenes of the three cars driving across the Anatolian countryside at night will stay with me for a long time.But what happened to the subtitles? Much of the time nothing appears while characters are speaking, and when the subtitles appear they are often unfinished sentences. Or there are answers to unseen questions.At first I thought it was something to do with my friend's TV so I watched another copy on my TV and the result was the same. Reading reviews I haven't seen anyone else complaining, so were we doing something wrong?

Directed by Nuri Ceylan, this film won the Grand Prix prize at Cannes in 2011 and it is a meticulous and methodical picture. Clocking in at 150 mins, the story centers around a murder investigation. We are not shown the crime and the misdeed. The police already have the culprits in tow and just need to locate where the body was buried.We are quickly despatched into the dead of night, and the start of the search. A doctor, a handcuffed criminal and several police officers are all present and for the purposes of this film, together, they represent a trinity of the good, the bad, and the (imperfect but well intended) everyman.The search would appear to be futile at first, as the landscape is indistinguishable from one vista to the next. Especially in the pitch black dark. Soon, you sense that the characters, marred by frustration, become engulfed by their surroundings. Allusions are thrown up to metaphysical issues, not only in the cinematography, but by the nature of their conversations. An anecdote shared by the Prosecutor with the Doctor sets up a recurring conversation between the two. It would appear to be used as a device to discuss the incongruent relationship between science, with its reason and rationale, and spirituality, with its romance and mystery.No doubt about it, this is a film that takes its time, unravelling slowly. There are many conversations exchanged that, on the surface, appear inconsequential. Early on, there is a protracted discussion in the police vehicle about types of yoghurt. The lengthy dispute does nothing to further the plot. It doesn't matter. What it does manage is to make the viewer feel like the characters are human and tangible. These opinions reflect real people and they engage with sincerity, just as people do in every day situations.There are strong performances all round from the cast, who manage to reflect the complex make-up of the protagonists. The writers, Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Ceylan and Ercan Kesal, have succeeded in creating three dimensional characters who feel real, and come to the screen with a history. Thankfully, the cast's depictions are measured, understated yet emotionally effective. The photography, by Gökhan Tiryaki, is perfectly balanced too, capturing the natural beauty of the landscape without shying away from the gritty reality of the poverty burdened by many in the local community.This is not a film for everyone. If a blockbuster represents your average 3 minute pop song, then this plays like a mellow symphony. The story moves along with a whisper, rather than a scream. It is a film that has been lovingly crafted with an assured confidence; Ceylan understands the necessity to `show, not tell'.Shakespeare stated that life is full of sound and fury that ultimately, in the end, signifies nothing. Is the sound, the fury, those little conversations we have (like the characters do about yoghurt)? Are those, in reality, the moments that signify nothing? Is there really any more to life than the consequences of human politic? Of course, all of this is open to interpretation and discussion. Watch this film either alone, or with the right company, and in the right frame of mind, and there is a high chance you will similarly ponder. After all, these are undoubtedly the big issues and this film wants you to consider them.For more: [...]

First of all, this movie is a serious one talking about life, philosophy and sin.If you think already that it will be difficult, don't be.It's easy and simple enough for everyone.The scenary is breathtalking, shot sizes are just stunning it was a work of art.The movie is kind of long but I never thought it was boring at all.You will love it and watch it again if you manage to finish.