Original Title: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da
Language: Turkish
Writer: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan, Ercan Kesal
Main Cast: Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel, Firat TanisLate one night, an array of men – a police commissioner, a prosecutor, a doctor, a murder
suspect and others – pack themselves into three cars and drive through the endless
Anatolian country side, across serpentine roads and rolling hills, searching for a body. The
suspect claims he was drunk and can’t quite remember where the body was buried; field
after field, they dig but discover only dirt. As the night draws on, tensions escalate, and
individual stories slowly emerge from the weary small talk of the men. Nothing here is
simple, and when the body is found, the real questions begin.At once epic and intimate, Ceylan’s latest masterpiece explores the twisted web of truth, and the occasional kindness of lies.
Winner – Grand Jury Prize at 2011 Cannes Film Festival
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Turkey/Bosnia-Herzegovina
- 150 mins
- 2011
- Drama
- Colour
12:45 Sat 24 Nov 2012 Cinemobile €8/€7 Buy Now
The Bottom Line:
This is a director on top of his game; a master storyteller. Acting, direction and cinematography mark out this film as something special.
It is rare to find a film that transports you to a totally unknown place. This mesmerising Turkish movie does this, slowly revealing the tensions and complexities at the heart of a senseless killing. It has been rightly acclaimed as one of the great achievements in world cinema of recent years. An unforgettable, occasionally disorientating experience.
Joe O'Shea, Journalist, Broadcaster, Author
