Distant (2002) Uzak (original title)

Director:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writers:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (scenario)
Cemil Kavukçu (additional writing)

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:

Factory | Car | Photographer | Ship | Depression

Awards:

25 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Directed by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nuri Bilge Ceylan		scenario
Cemil Kavukçu		additional writing

Produced by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan	....	producer
Feridun Koc	....	line producer

Cinematography by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan		(director of photography) (as N. B. Ceylan)

Film Editing by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan		(as N. B. Ceylan)
Ayhan Ergürsel

Production Management
Feridun Koc	....	production manager (as Feridun Koç)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Serkan Cindoruk	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Adnan Sahin	....	color supervisor

Sound Department
Erkan Aktas	....	sound mixer
Ismail Karadas	....	sound
Richard Welsh	....	dolby sound consultant

Camera and Electrical Department
Turksoy Golebeyi	....	assistant camera (as Türksoy Gölebeyi)
Zafer Saka	....	set & lighting utility

Editorial Department
Tuncay Koçtürk	....	negative cutter
Mustafa Oruç	....	negative & positive bathing
Erol Sahin	....	printing
Mustafa Sahin	....	negative & positive bathing
Zekeriya Sahin	....	printing
Eyüp Yildiz	....	negative cutter
Yahya Öztürk	....	negative & positive bathing

Thanks
Alaeddin Aksoy	....	thanks
Asiye Aksoy	....	thanks
Arif Asçi	....	thanks
Necmi Aykar	....	thanks
Asiye Bodur	....	thanks
Ebru Ceylan	....	thanks (as Ebru Yapici)
Emine Ceylan	....	thanks
Zeki Demirkubuz	....	thanks
Sadik Incesu	....	thanks
Cemil Kavukçu	....	thanks
Temel Kerimoglu	....	thanks
Kadir Kubasik	....	thanks
Hakan Kürtür	....	thanks
Cemal Okan	....	thanks
Serdar Pehlivanoglu	....	thanks
Keriman Ulusoy	....	thanks
Ahmet Çadirci	....	thanks
Kamer Çelik	....	thanks
Reis Çelik	....	thanks
Yüksel Öztürk	....	thanks
Ahmet Özyurt	....	thanks
Metin Üstündag	....	thanks

Production Companies

• NBC Ajans
• NBC Film

Distributors

• Filmcoopi Zürich (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Lady Film (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Mirada Distribution (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2010) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Artificial Eye (2004) (UK) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2004) (Canada) (all media)
• New Yorker Films (2004) (USA) (subtitled)
• Pelicanfilms (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Özen Film

Also Known As:

"Uzak" - Turkey (original title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Turkey

Language:

Turkish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Istanbul, Turkey

Company:

NBC Ajans

Trivia:

Mahmut's house is actually the director's own house.

Movie Connections:

Features Stalker (1979)

People must learn

People must learn to watch what is up there on the screen. This is a great film that is based on a slow, careful gathering of details which serve to establish the personalities of these two men. The passivity of Yusuf (Emin Toprak), the country cousin, is well described by his fear of talking to women. He has at least three chances to start a conversation with a young woman and loses all of them. He has many decades of bachelorhood ahead of him, and maybe unemployment as well.

Mahmut is a different case. He got out of the small town by working very hard (we imagine), and his resentment of slackers like Yusuf is palpable (he leaves crumbs on the expensive carpet--the slob!). We are shown a group of friends talking about Tarkovsky among other things, and we note that Mahmut feels regret--but only slight regret--that his work has become commercial over the years. The gulf between the cousins just gets wider and wider. The mouse trap theme is wonderfully vivid, it brings out the compassion and confusion of Yusuf, and the cold-blooded problem solving of Mahmut.

I was reminded of two classic films of men driving each other nuts: Les cousins by Chabrol (the rich boy with Hitlerian pretensions played by Brialy is always in my mind) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (William Hurt can't figure out why everybody's so mean). Nuri Bilge Ceylan takes his place among the dozen important directors now active. I just hope that in future he will come to rely on collaborators, instead of directing, writing and shooting his films himself.