If you try and define modern cinema from Turkey, you simply cannot avoid mentioning the body of work of director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. His eighth feature, which competed in for the Palm d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, was inspired by a story of a father and son who lived near Ceylan’s home town. The son, Akin Aksu, also co-wrote the script for the film, which, typical of Ceylan’s work, presents an intersection of a person’s biography and the current state of his home country. To be precise, “The Wild Pear Tree” combines the rich visual beauty while telling a story of people suffering from a lack of direction in their lives, thus seeming lost and even quite desperate.
“The Wild Pear Tree” screened at Vesoul International Festival of Asian Cinema
Before his final exams as a teacher, Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol) returns to Çan, his hometown,...
“The Wild Pear Tree” screened at Vesoul International Festival of Asian Cinema
Before his final exams as a teacher, Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol) returns to Çan, his hometown,...
- 2/21/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Joanna Kulig in Cold War
Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War was the big winner at the second East-West. Golden Arch awards in Moscow last night. The film, which tells the tempestuous love story of the writer/director's late parents, won four awards, including Best Film and Best Director.
Murat Cemcir with his award for Best Supporting Actor Photo: Anna Temerina It's star Joanna Kulig was named Best Actress, while Pawlikowski's cinematographer Lukas Zal shared the Best Cinematography award with Kaloyan Bozhilov, who was celebrated for his work on his tale of an elderly couple whose traditions are dying in Milko Lazarov's Ága.
Evgeniy Tsiganov was named Best Actor for his powerful portrayal of a man who tries to trick death by taking on the guise of a woman in The Man Who Surprised Everyone, which also saw his co-star Natalya Kudryashowa named Best Supporting Actress. The Russian film's co-writers...
Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War was the big winner at the second East-West. Golden Arch awards in Moscow last night. The film, which tells the tempestuous love story of the writer/director's late parents, won four awards, including Best Film and Best Director.
Murat Cemcir with his award for Best Supporting Actor Photo: Anna Temerina It's star Joanna Kulig was named Best Actress, while Pawlikowski's cinematographer Lukas Zal shared the Best Cinematography award with Kaloyan Bozhilov, who was celebrated for his work on his tale of an elderly couple whose traditions are dying in Milko Lazarov's Ága.
Evgeniy Tsiganov was named Best Actor for his powerful portrayal of a man who tries to trick death by taking on the guise of a woman in The Man Who Surprised Everyone, which also saw his co-star Natalya Kudryashowa named Best Supporting Actress. The Russian film's co-writers...
- 4/15/2019
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Though the 188-minute running time for The Wild Pear Tree, Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest film following his 2014 Palme d’Or win for Winter’s Sleep, may seem daunting, those patient or curious enough to see it will have their good faith pay off in emotional spades, for this is a film whose piercing potency slowly creeps up on you, burrows into your psyche, and lingers long after the film’s final frame. All of which is to say, this film earns every one of those 188 minutes. As with his prior features, including Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011), The Wild Pear Tree demonstrates Ceylan’s personal affection for, and preoccupations with, Russian literature, and the film’s rhythms, themes, and observations make both implicit and explicit references to Chekov, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky. Reasonable, though cursory, comparisons could also be made to Mike Nichols’ The Graduate—another film...
- 1/27/2019
- MUBI
Eight months after its premiere at Cannes, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree is opening next Wednesday in New York and its release has been heralded with this lovely poster by Scott Meola for Cinema Guild. I led off my Cannes competition round-up last May with an earlier poster for the film—one which also featured its protagonist dwarfed by a saturated landscape and Turner-esque skies—but this one is even better.The Wild Pear Tree is a magical film, but its magic is hard to encapsulate in a poster. Most of its three hour running time features its hang-dog anti-hero, Sinan—an aspiring writer newly graduated from university who returns to his home town to try to publish his writing—shuffling around the town and its environs with his hands in his pockets, his head bowed and his mouth in a perpetual sneer. The film is composed...
- 1/25/2019
- MUBI
"A big, bold masterpiece." The Cinema Guild & Film Forum have released an official Us trailer for the latest film from acclaimed Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, titled The Wild Pear Tree or Ahlat Agaci originally in Turkish. It will finally be opening in Us cinemas (mostly only in NYC to start) in January, after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and stopping by the Toronto and New York Film Festivals earlier this fall. This film was one my favorite films at Cannes this year, and it has been on my mind quite a bit, since the dialogue is so formidable and intellectual. The story is about a young writer named Sinan who returns to his hometown, dealing with his family and his father, while also struggling to believe whether his dream of becoming a writer is still possible. Dogu Demirkol stars as Sinan, with Murat Cemcir, Bennu Yildirimlar,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
After winning the Palme d’Or in 2014 for his heartbreaking “Winter Sleep,” Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan returned to Cannes this year with another sprawling drama, albeit one that offers a glimpse at the filmmaker’s more playful side. “The Wild Pear Tree” follows the fraught relationship between a father and son, aided by some surprising (and often charming) deviations into the more fantastical elements of life.
Per its official synopsis, “Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol), an aspiring writer, returns home after university hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. He wanders the town encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers and finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, Sinan grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.”
In his Cannes review, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn...
Per its official synopsis, “Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol), an aspiring writer, returns home after university hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. He wanders the town encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers and finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, Sinan grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.”
In his Cannes review, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn...
- 12/14/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Turkey’s Academy Award Entry for Best Foreign Language Film: ‘The Wild Pear Tree’‘The Wild Pear Tree’ by Nuri Bilge CeylanThe guilty pleasure of Cannes is seeing a 3 hour and 8 minute film that takes you into an unknown place and leads you toward a perfect ending. In this category Nuri Bilge Ceylan joins Andrei Tarkovsky and Theodoros Angelopoulos.
The Wild Pear Tree is about Sinan, a young man returning from college who is passionate about literature and has always wanted to be a writer. Returning to the village where he was born, he pours his heart and soul into scraping together the money he needs to be published, but his father’s debts catch up with him…
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, Murat Cemcir, Tamer Levent, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Dogu Demirkol in Cannes
Going on long walks, Sinan joins the town’s iman and his college...
The Wild Pear Tree is about Sinan, a young man returning from college who is passionate about literature and has always wanted to be a writer. Returning to the village where he was born, he pours his heart and soul into scraping together the money he needs to be published, but his father’s debts catch up with him…
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, Murat Cemcir, Tamer Levent, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Dogu Demirkol in Cannes
Going on long walks, Sinan joins the town’s iman and his college...
- 10/27/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree, which premiered this year in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, was selected as Turkey’s submission into this year’s Foreign Language Film Oscar race. It marks the fifth film from Ceylan chosen to rep the country, and the first since 2014’s Winter Sleep which won Cannes’ Palme d’Or.
Local media reports said 12 films were in the running for the slot and Pear Tree was chosen among film professionals and Culture and Tourism Ministry officials. The 91st Oscars are set for February 24, 2019. Cinema Guild has U.S. rights to the film and plans a 2019 release.
The Wild Pear Tree (Ahlat Agaci) center son Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol), an aspiring writer, who returns home after university hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel, but his ambition is slowed by the gambling past of his father (Murat Cemcir...
Local media reports said 12 films were in the running for the slot and Pear Tree was chosen among film professionals and Culture and Tourism Ministry officials. The 91st Oscars are set for February 24, 2019. Cinema Guild has U.S. rights to the film and plans a 2019 release.
The Wild Pear Tree (Ahlat Agaci) center son Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol), an aspiring writer, who returns home after university hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel, but his ambition is slowed by the gambling past of his father (Murat Cemcir...
- 8/18/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Guild has bought U.S. distribution rights to Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “The Wild Pear Tree,” a month after it premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters in early 2019. It’s the eighth feature film from the Turkish filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.”
“The Wild Pear Tree” follows an aspiring writer (played by Doğu Demirkol) who returns home after college, hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. But as he wanders the town, encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers, he finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (portrayed by Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, he grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.
“The Wild Pear Tree” will mark the...
Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters in early 2019. It’s the eighth feature film from the Turkish filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.”
“The Wild Pear Tree” follows an aspiring writer (played by Doğu Demirkol) who returns home after college, hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. But as he wanders the town, encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers, he finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (portrayed by Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, he grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.
“The Wild Pear Tree” will mark the...
- 6/27/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
A few weeks after premiering at Cannes, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “The Wild Pear Tree” already has a teaser. The Turkish auteur has a storied history at the festival — his last film, “Winter Sleep,” won the Palme d’Or, and he’s previously been awarded the Grand Prix and Best Director prizes as well — but his latest left France empty-handed despite strong reviews.
In his Cannes review, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn writes that the film is “brisk” by Ceylan’s standards despite its imposing three-hour running time and “maintains a visual sophistication unparalleled” in international cinema. Here’s the film’s very brief synopsis: “An aspiring writer returns to his native village in rural Turkey, where he becomes overwhelmed by his father’s debts.”
The minute-long teaser is wordless and gives little sense of the plot, but it does make it clear that Ceylan’s visual mastery indeed remains intact.
In his Cannes review, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn writes that the film is “brisk” by Ceylan’s standards despite its imposing three-hour running time and “maintains a visual sophistication unparalleled” in international cinema. Here’s the film’s very brief synopsis: “An aspiring writer returns to his native village in rural Turkey, where he becomes overwhelmed by his father’s debts.”
The minute-long teaser is wordless and gives little sense of the plot, but it does make it clear that Ceylan’s visual mastery indeed remains intact.
- 6/3/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The guilty pleasure of Cannes is seeing a 3 hour and 8 minute film that takes you into an unknown place and leads you toward a perfect ending. In this category Nuri Bilge Ceylan joins Andrei Tarkovsky and Theodoros Angelopoulos.
The Wild Pear Tree is about Sinan, a young man returning from college who is passionate about literature and has always wanted to be a writer. Returning to the village where he was born, he pours his heart and soul into scraping together the money he needs to be published, but his father’s debts catch up with him…
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, Murat Cemcir, Tamer Levent, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Dogu Demirkol in Cannes
Going on long walks, Sinan joins the town’s iman and his college mate and they carry on a long discussion about morality, each one offering a different viewpoint, one more liberal, one more...
The Wild Pear Tree is about Sinan, a young man returning from college who is passionate about literature and has always wanted to be a writer. Returning to the village where he was born, he pours his heart and soul into scraping together the money he needs to be published, but his father’s debts catch up with him…
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, Murat Cemcir, Tamer Levent, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Dogu Demirkol in Cannes
Going on long walks, Sinan joins the town’s iman and his college mate and they carry on a long discussion about morality, each one offering a different viewpoint, one more liberal, one more...
- 5/24/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Last week we saw a film from Pawel Pawlikowski that crossed continents and spanned decades and lasted a mere 84 minutes. With the exception of a devastating climax that skips a few years, the majority of The Wild Pear Tree takes place over just a few days. It is more than twice as long, and, I would wager, has ten times as many lines of dialogue. We are being rather flippant here (it’s been a long week), especially given the fact that the director, of course, is Nuri Bilge Ceylan, hardly a filmmaker known for his concision. He is, however, responsible for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia — a work that seems, as the years glance by, to be gaining the aura of a modern classic. He also made Winter Sleep, which was even longer. It also won the Palme d’Or.
So: in short, this is something certainly worthy...
So: in short, this is something certainly worthy...
- 5/19/2018
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Timing is a funny thing.
Take director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose latest film “The Wild Pear Tree” was the final film to screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night.
He took home the Palme d’Or with his previous work, 2014’s “Winter Sleep,” so you could hardly call his last trip to Cannes a failure. However, you could argue that that award winner — a searing indictment of male entitlement, ego and privilege — might have come out a few years too early.
The market will always be tough for verbose Turkish dramas that are more than three hours long, but you’d have to imagine that the many thematic overlaps between “Winter Sleep” and our ongoing cultural conversation might have pushed that talky drama a bit further into the spotlight.
Also Read: 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' Film Review: Terry Gilliam Finally Delivers Messy Fun
Alas,...
Take director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose latest film “The Wild Pear Tree” was the final film to screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night.
He took home the Palme d’Or with his previous work, 2014’s “Winter Sleep,” so you could hardly call his last trip to Cannes a failure. However, you could argue that that award winner — a searing indictment of male entitlement, ego and privilege — might have come out a few years too early.
The market will always be tough for verbose Turkish dramas that are more than three hours long, but you’d have to imagine that the many thematic overlaps between “Winter Sleep” and our ongoing cultural conversation might have pushed that talky drama a bit further into the spotlight.
Also Read: 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' Film Review: Terry Gilliam Finally Delivers Messy Fun
Alas,...
- 5/19/2018
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
Forget the menacing length: “The Wild Pear Tree,” Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest sprawling feature, clocks in at just over three hours, but that’s been his average range for years. For the first time, however, he has applied that ambitious approach to a bittersweet and at times even witty father-son bonding story. The director of “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” and Palme d’Or-winner “Winter Sleep” tends to construct grim, serious character studies that dwell on pregnant pauses and stern exchanges, but that’s far from the case here. By Ceylan standards, “The Wild Pear Tree” is brisk.
The narrative’s gradual pace remains an acquired taste, but anyone willing to engage with Ceylan’s slow-burn approach will find his variation on an accessible formula — it stretches and magnifies the details of its character’s dilemma while pushing him along an impactful journey at a leisurely pace.
The narrative’s gradual pace remains an acquired taste, but anyone willing to engage with Ceylan’s slow-burn approach will find his variation on an accessible formula — it stretches and magnifies the details of its character’s dilemma while pushing him along an impactful journey at a leisurely pace.
- 5/19/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
With “Winter Sleep,” Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan signaled a shift in style, increasing the importance of extended dialogues to the visually rich chamber pieces he plays out on grand stages. “The Wild Pear Tree” goes a step further, building elaborate rhetorical set pieces of such density that digesting them in all their intricacies at one sitting is practically impossible. Even more than in his previous film, Ceylan and his fellow scriptwriters develop astonishingly complex spoken recitatives that weave philosophy, religious tradition, and ethics together into a mesmerizing verbal fugue. For his fans, the three hours won’t feel like an indulgence, but those less sympathetic to the shared primacy of verbiage and imagery will likely feel tested. The achievement is masterful, though its diffusion will be limited.
Thematically “The Wild Pear Tree” fits perfectly into the director’s melancholy expanse of male disaffection, though his main character is younger than many of his protagonists,...
Thematically “The Wild Pear Tree” fits perfectly into the director’s melancholy expanse of male disaffection, though his main character is younger than many of his protagonists,...
- 5/18/2018
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
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