BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Two men are driven around a remote rural area in two police cars and an army jeep. The squinting, silent Kenan has confessed to murdering Yasar and burying him, apparently with the help of the other man. Police chief Naci has called prosecutor Nusret all the way from Ankara to witness the discovery of the corpse. The problem is that, as the searchers drive along deserted roads through the windy hills, stopping at likely spots that all look the same in the dark, Kenan fails to locate the grave.
Like in a story by Chekhov, the first half of the film is filled with insignificant conversations that serve to delineate the characters, like the scientific-minded young doctor who’s divorced and the hot-headed police chief who has a sick child. As the camera slowly and implacably zooms in on their faces, it seems to reveal their very soul.
Gökhan Tiryaki’s cinematography emphasizes the stark, eerie beauty of the Anatolian landscape, an ancient world of nature that humans can’t even see without the help of headlights or a lightning storm. (Deborah Young)
- Muhammet Uzuner - Doktor Cemal
- Yýlmaz Erdogan - Kommissar Naci
- Taner Birsel - Staatsanwalt Nusret
- Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan - Fahrer Arab Ali
- Firat Tanis - Kenan
- Ercan Kesal - Mukhtar
- Ebru Ceylan
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Ercan Kesal
- Gökhan Tiryaki
- Thomas Robert
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Bora Göksingöl
- Dilek Yapkuöz Ayaztuna
Zeyno Film
