Chicago Sun-Times, 04/09/2004, p.36, "The film takes place in Turkey, but its dynamic could be transplanted anywhere -- maybe to our own families....A movie like this touches everyday life..."
Los Angeles Times, 09/24/2004, p.E14, "[A] beautifully made, unapologetically artistic piece of work..."
Uncut, 01/01/2005, p.163, "[H]ailed as a thinking person's masterpiece....Voluntary isolation has rarely been so shrewdly portrayed."
Entertainment Weekly, 03/19/2004, p.47, "[Ceylan] frames the affecting, unstudied performances in gorgeously chosen shots..."
Theatrical Release: March 17, 2004 (NY)
DVD Features:
Keep Case
Widescreen
Additional Release Material:
Interviews - Nuri Bilge Ceyland - Director
Bonus Shorts
Trailers - Foreign Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Nuri Bilge Ceylan's DISTANT chronicles the numbing loneliness, longing, and isolation in the lives of two men who are consumed by their own problems. Istanbul photographer Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir) reluctantly receives his relative Yusuf (Mehmet Emin Toprak), but the mingling of their lives does little to alleviate their detachment. Mahmut's ex-wife is moving and Mahmut cannot deal with the residue of his feelings for her, and later, he must care for his ill mother. Yusuf unsuccessfully looks for work on a ship in hopes of seeing the world and having money left over for his family, but ends up wandering the city, failing to find the connection and inclusion he seems to desire. Despite a superficial effort by Mahmut to help by offering Yusuf a job on a photo shoot, their already distant relationship devolves into little more than sharing the same space, as neither can find a way to communicate at a deeper level.
Ceylan uses his significant cinematic talents to great effect with long, meditative shots that emphasize a mood of alienation and stagnancy. Wintry Istanbul becomes its own character, as its foreboding weather and stark industrial areas create a physical distance among the characters. Imbued with pathos, this film provides a complex character study that speaks to the need for human connection. Ceylan's cast is comprised of his relatives and friends, all nonprofessional actors, who turn in refined performances. DISTANT won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003.