2023, 197 minutes
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Nestled away in wintry East Anatolia, public-school art teacher Samet (Deniz Celiloglu) yearns to leave the sleepy village for cosmopolitan Istanbul. Further disenchanted when he and Kenan (Musab Ekici), a colleague, come under public scrutiny, Samet fears circumstances will keep him in Anatolia and his dreams of a new life permanently out of reach. A silver lining is a budding relationship with Nuray (Merve Dizdar), a fellow teacher and firebrand who develops connections with both Samet and Kenan, forcing Samet to confront what he can't readily accept.
Renowned for his nuanced, visually ravishing imagery, award-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Winter Sleep) capstones the film with one of his greatest sequences, a dazzling metacinematic climax featuring an entrancing performance from Dizdar, who took home Best Actress at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
"Masterful, enveloping... We all remained on the edge of our seats." Five stars - Robbie Collins, The Telegraph
"'Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with another masterclass in conversational cinema. " Critic's Pick - Siddhant Adlakha, Indiewire