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Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Original title: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
52K
YOUR RATING
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)
A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes with a suspect who claims he canÂ’t remember where he buried the body. As night wears on, details about the murder begin to emerge and the investigatorsÂ’ own hidden secrets come to light.
Play trailer1:37
1 Video
56 Photos
Cop DramaPolice ProceduralPsychological ThrillerCrimeDramaThriller

A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.

  • Director
    • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
  • Writers
    • Ebru Ceylan
    • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
    • Ercan Kesal
  • Stars
    • Muhammet Uzuner
    • Yilmaz Erdogan
    • Taner Birsel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    52K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
    • Writers
      • Ebru Ceylan
      • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
      • Ercan Kesal
    • Stars
      • Muhammet Uzuner
      • Yilmaz Erdogan
      • Taner Birsel
    • 137User reviews
    • 194Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 21 wins & 34 nominations total

    Videos1

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:37
    U.S. Version

    Photos55

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
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    + 52
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    Top cast24

    Edit
    Muhammet Uzuner
    • Doctor Cemal
    Yilmaz Erdogan
    Yilmaz Erdogan
    • Commissar Naci
    Taner Birsel
    Taner Birsel
    • Prosecutor Nusret
    Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
    Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
    • Driver Arab Ali
    Firat Tanis
    Firat Tanis
    • Suspect Kenan
    Ercan Kesal
    Ercan Kesal
    • Mukhtar
    Erol Erarslan
    • Murder Victim Yasar
    Ugur Aslanoglu
    • Courthouse Driver Tevfik
    Murat Kiliç
    • Police Officer Izzet
    Safak Karali
    • Courthouse Clerk Abidin
    Emre Sen
    • Sergeant Onder
    Burhan Yildiz
    • Suspect Ramazan…
    Nihan Okutucu
    • Yasar's wife Gülnaz
    Cansu Demirci
    • Mukhtar's Daughter Cemile
    Kubilay Tunçer
    • Autopsy Technician Sakir
    Salih Ünal
    • Hospital Cook Hamit
    Aziz Izzet Biçici
    • Restaurant Owner Kazim
    Celal Acaralp
    • Pharmacist Saim
    • Director
      • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
    • Writers
      • Ebru Ceylan
      • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
      • Ercan Kesal
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The anecdote about the sudden death of a woman told by prosecutor Nusret and the doctor's deduction come from the short story The Examining Magistrate by Russian writer Anton Chekhov.
    • Goofs
      Naci speaks to his wife on the mobile phone. When his wife hangs up angrily, a dial tone is heard. No dial tone is heard on mobile phones.
    • Quotes

      Prosecutor Nusret: Ignore Naci. He's just a handful of bees, as my mother would say. All noise and no action.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Alli Turnam
      Performed by Neset Ertas

      Written by Haci Tasan

    User reviews137

    Featured review
    9/10

    Anatolia, the naivety, the grit, the animosity, the compassion, the beauty....

    Anatolia, simply the rest of Turkey other than Istanbul. It is a place where the hospitality is served as the only gift with respect and honor. The fascinating thing is to see such sort of story which takes place in this land of world where hundreds of nations have existed and vanished throughout the history, by a magnificent director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan. I can understand people who have harsh criticism about these kind of arts so called as ''film-noir''. It may seem too slow or simply lack of action or someone can even question how other people can enjoy by watching so called cliché ' a man looking beyond the horizons all along the movie'. The point is no body has to like this sort of art. For instance it is like reading a book. Consider some pages of a book when there is no action but the author speaks instead of the hero of the book. So by watching ' a man looking beyond the horizons' makes me question what he could think or makes me put myself in the middle of the situation. And I really feel like I am that guy in the movie. But I really really and really feel like I am that guy, when the movie is so perfectly directed and so perfectly portrayed.

    We can call this movie as a bridge or as a milestone in Ceylan's career. It is as simple as that, there is a very obvious change in Ceylan's directing and writing after seeing that movie. Having seen that, we can make this comparison like Before or After Once upon a Time in Anatolia. It is not 'three monkeys' or 'the climates' or 'the distant', it is obviously another one that carries Nuri Bilge Ceylan's way of directing to the next level.

    Another must see...
    • nowtheworldisgone
    • Jun 4, 2011
    • Permalink

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Once Upon a Time in Anatolia?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 2011 (Turkey)
    • Countries of origin
      • Turkey
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Official sites
      • Memento Films (France)
      • NBC Film (Turkey)
    • Language
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Một Thời Ở Anatolia
    • Filming locations
      • Keskin, Central Anatolia, Turkey
    • Production companies
      • Zeynofilm
      • Production 2006
      • 1000 Volt
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $152,408
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,952
      • Jan 8, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,099,472
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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