filmbore pick of the week - Once Upon A Time In Anatolia

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Screenplay: Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ercan Kesal
Starring: Yilmaz Erdogan, Murhammet Uzuner, Taner Birsel, Firat Tanis, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
Year: 2011
Language: Turkish
UK rental release date: July 2012

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I've not ventured into the cinematic output from Turkey on filmbore yet, so I I thought I'd dip into the co-winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2011 (along with The Kid With A Bike, as reviewed here), Once Upon A Time In Anatolia.

We open on three men, drinking in merriment, their banterous chat muffled by the filthy windowpane we are espying them through. One man gets up, peering through the same pane of glass, spotting a hound outside of the building they occupy. This brief visit allows little time to understand the scene's relevance, as we fade out...

We're then introduced to a convoy of three vehicles carry a number of men, driving through the night, through Turkey's hillsides on the lookout for a dead body. Arrested suspect Kenan (Firat Tanis, After The Revoution) is helping the authorities. He sits, tired and uncomfortable in the back of the Polis car, travelling fro site to site, hoping to locate the missing body.

Naci (Yilmaz Erdogan, Vizontele, Rhino Season) the leading officer in the investigation but is growing increasingly impatient. But when it gets to him, he can turn to Arab Ali (Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, The Butterfly's Dream), his driver for this journey, who he muses with while on the road.

Prosecutor Nusret (Taner Birsel, Our Grand Despair) isn't impressed. He thinks that they are all on a wild goose chase and needs this resolving as soon as possible, as he has to be back in Ankara the next morning. He is losing his faith in Naci's abilities as an investigative officer.

They are also joined by Doctor Cemal (Muhammet Uzuner, Küf), the medical expert required for when, and if, they locate the deceased. He's quiet and reflective, yet you're unsure whether this is his true nature or his manifested state thrust upon him through the aftermath of his recent divorce from his wife.

With a team of varied expertise, which also includes soldiers and diggers, they have all corners covered. And we follow our characters through the night, as they try their best to locate the hidden body of the victim.

But Kenan doesn't appear to want to free up information of the corpse's whereabouts. He and his fellow detainee Ramazan (Burhan Yildiz) were drinking that night and claim not to remember much...or are they just stalling?

Once Upon... is a beautiful looking picture. There are few films shot with the delicate focus and elegance that this film so confidently upholds. Even in the moodier looking shots look very crisp and it's one that you just have to rent or buy on Blu-Ray if you have the equipment.

A lot of this excellent depth and clarity comes through how it's lit. Lighting choices are very important in this film. Not only is there astonishing detail in the selection of manufactured light sources and the advantageous harvesting of natural luminescence, but what's fascinating is the decision to not use light in some places. trusting the shadows and the dimly light environments as much as the illuminated ones. This blend of opposing emanations at such minute arrays creates a rich texture across the whole picture, giving it a very exclusive feel; it's granted with an identity of its own.

More impressive are the lighting methods for the early scenes that are predominantly at night time, using car headlights to illuminate the surrounding countryside and our actors. A good proportion of the film is set during night time too, so you get to see different variations of this working.

Besides a brief prologue, and last act back in the town for our characters, the film is nearly entirely set in the vehicles and the hills. Stunning landscapes are strewn amongst the journey, widening the scope of this direct and intimate feature. It also feels incredibly natural and totally raw; there's no glamour at all.

The same can be said for the accompanying score, or lack of. There's a real absence of music through nearly the entire feature, including the end credits where, instead, we are dealt two juxtaposing sounds to accompany the scrolling text, conjuring some unusual imagery. 

These feelings are thinks to this film's ability to gradually become edgier as it progresses, even with its visible structure of two key acts covering night and then day. The story itself is, for the main, pretty straight forward, serving as a spine to the collective of great performances, stunning camera work and exquisite character interactions. 

It really concentrates on the dialogue and relationships between the ensemble of different characters, with the trivial practicalities of their plight unveiling their truer feelings to this scenario, making for some intriguing chemistry between our lead characters. Such focus exposes an underlying tale (that's far more compelling than the main plot) between Prosecutor Nusret and Doctor Cemal, surrounding a chat that's continually revisited throughout the picture. It's centred around a young woman who mysteriously died, and the more that the Nusret divulges, the more drawn to the occurrences Cemal becomes. This mechanism adds a further mystery to the key plot and evolves core tension into their relationship.

It's through these moments that you really notice the strength of the cast. There's a genuine sense to the performances, marrying perfectly to the realism on the piece. It has to be said though that amongst them all, Erdogan as Chief Naci and Tanis as Kenan truly hold the film together with solid execution of their roles, even in the most subtle of instances.

Such absolute performances help to fuel the film's authenticity. It feels as though this is how a real investigation of this nature would occur; there's not an ounce sensationalism or exaggeration in sight. This may also be due to the it being base on real facts and events, comprised into one story following the true life experiences of one of the film's co-writers, Ercan Kesal. How much this being directly true is uncertain, but whether honestly exposed for gravitas, or enhanced for cinematic potency, there is substance and circumstance to be noted in this story, while a revelation in the case discovers at the end of this story will make you reflect on events a little differently.

A police chief, a guard cop, a driver ,a doctor and a felon all sat in a car driving around the Turkish countryside sounds like an opening to a distasteful joke but believe me when I say that this is no cheap quip. I am yet to see any more of the Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films and now that I've seen Once Upon A Time In Anatolia, enjoying it immensely, I will be endeavouring to do so. Watch this space for more...

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