Winter Sleep (Turkish: Kış Uykusu) (2014)
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Watched: 5/25/18
Rating: 8/10
[Clue: Was filmed in this gorgeous plateau in Turkey; also known as Asian Turkey]
A “contemplative cinema” film quite difficult to summarize- about so little, yet so much.
Numerous tea-drinking, dialogue-limited, superfluous scenes where nothing of value occurs- there is no plot but it overflows with complex themes and psychological intensity (My two favorite questions: Can you force someone into an inevitability of remorse by not resisting their evil? and “Conscience”, “Morals”, “Principles”, “Purpose”; The one who uses these words the most is perhaps the most highly suspect?)
Aggressive, drawn-out discussions between brother and sister; passive-aggressive arguments between husband and wife; circuitous conversations between landlord and tenant; all create an impressively tangible and physical tenseness in the viewer- yet the characters meet with very little resolution.
The ending is many things at once: devastating, difficult to understand, even more difficult to accept, and leaves one with much to ponder (That much money, wasted! How can one’s pride be worth that much?)
Ostensibly about a retired actor who now owns a hotel and multiple properties in meagerly populated Cappadocia, spending most of his time researching and writing,
Loneliness, morality, religion, philosophy, family, marriage, philanthropy, pride, parenthood, social consciousness, the disparity between classes, though- these are the real characters.
Ingenious use of reflective surfaces and incredible cinematography- especially some of the scenery shots in the dead of winter (My favorite is the releasing of the horse into the wild on a winter night.)
Although needlessly lengthy, manages to allure with a beautiful shot or profound dialogue as boredom begins to set in.