Uzak (2002)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writer:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (writer)

Release Date:

20 December 2002 (Turkey)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Mahmut, a 40 year old independent photographer, is a "village boy made good" at least professionally in the big city - Istanbul in this case...

Plot Keywords:

Hope | Pub | Television | Tragedy | Surreal

Awards:

18 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Muzaffer Özdemir	...	Mahmut
Emin Toprak	...	Yusuf
Zuhal Gencer	...	Nazan (as Zuhal Gencer Erkaya)
Nazan Kirilmis	...	Lover
Feridun Koc	...	Janitor
Fatma Ceylan	...	Mother
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arif Asçi
Nazli Aydin
Ahmet Bugay
Ebru Ceylan		(as Ebru Yapici)
Ayhan Ergürsel
Erhan Ersoy
Cemal Gülas
Engin Hepsev
Ercan Kesal
Hakan Kuldan
Asli Orhun
Ahmet Özyurt
Bahaltin Surler

Also Known As:

Distant (International: English title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Turkey

Language:

Turkish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:14 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Istanbul, Turkey

Company:

NBC Ajans

Trivia:

In an interview, director Nuri Bilge Ceylan says that he actually didn't have any idea of shooting Yusuf's outdoor scenes in a snowy Istanbul. However, Ceylan woke up one day and saw that the city was covered in snow, so he decided to shoot those scenes that day.

Movie Connections:

Features Koza (1995)

One Important Thing about the film

The previous viewers comprehensively touched on the strengths of the film; its sincerity, sophisticated and thought provoking character and aesthetic accomplishments. I think one more important feature of the film should be highlighted. Unlike some fashionable non-Western movies, this movie successfully avoids from falling in the trap of satisfying the visual pleasures of the Orientalist minds. This movie contains not Turkish baths, delights or belly dancers but the alienated human relationships in Istanbul, which is depicted as it is without carrying the intention of showing the beautiful sites of Istanbul to external viewers. I think this is the most important thing that frustrated the expectations of many people who watched the movie including Turkish people. The Turkish people wants to see the films that would draw a touristy attention; while the European or American viewers expect to see exoticized features of an Oriental country. On the other hand, Istanbul is still beautiful in this movie; but this beauty is not put in a form of commodity to be sold out outside Turkey. That is why it is hard to digest the movie for many people. Uzak is very "distant" to those people who expect a non-stop action or an orientalist taste from cinema.