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‘Uzak’
(‘Distant’)
Geoff Andrew, Time Out (London), 26 May – 2 June 2004
Ceylan’s
third feature (after the acclaimed ‘The Small Town’ and ‘Clouds of May’,
neither, sadly, released here) is a marvellously astute account of a friendship
disintegrating under pressure from time, place and social difference.
It thoroughly deserved the Best Director and the Best Actor prizes it
won in Cannes last year. The simple story is familiar from everyday life.
Mahmut (Muzaffer Özmemir), a photographer once full of lofty artistic
ambitions but now resigned to cynical pragmatism, lives in Istanbul. Barely
concealing his reluctance, he agrees to put up Yusuf (Mehmet Emin Toprak,
who tragically died shortly after the film was completed), a cousin from
the Anatolian village he used to call home, while he looks for work on
the ships that might enable him to live abroad. Unfortunately for both,
Yusuf, unsuccessful in his rather half-hearted search, begins to outstay
his welcome.
With its laconic, faintly elliptical narrative, strikingly eloquent compositions
(shot by Ceylan himself), and superb performances, ‘Uzak’ speaks volumes
both about masculinity and the wintry realities of modern life in the
Western(-ised) world. Not that it’s all doom and gloom; a droll wit ensures
the none-too-rosy look at friendship, fulfilment and frustration never
feels forced or oppressive. (A delicious sight-gag involving Tarkovsky’s
‘Stalker’ typifies the blend of warm affection and wry scepticism that
distinguishes the film.)
The gentle pace and sense of how individual lives relate to larger forces
echoes Edward Yang; the precise evocation of time and place and discreet
formal confidence, Kiarostami; and the deadpan visual comedy, Keaton or
Jarmusch. Finally, however, Ceylan’s quiet intelligence and rich imagination
mean he’s his own man, and one of the most promising film-makers in the
world today.
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