Climates A Turkish Film

Climates, is a Turkish movie, I saw last week at the film forum. It is directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, he also features as the central character, along with his real life wife Ebru Ceylan. The movie had wonderful scenes of Turkey. Although it was slow and did not have much of a story, the characters grew on one and made it a movie, that was memorable.

Here is a summary from Blogcritics

Climates traces the deteriorating relationship between middle-aged professor Isa (played by Ceylan) and his noticeably younger TV producer girlfriend Bahar (Ceylan’s real-life wife, Ebru Ceylan). There’s not much in common between them, so when Isa suggests they end their relationship he meets little resistance from Bahar. This break leads both of them in new directions, with Isa reconnecting with an old flame while Bahar pursues her career far away from home.

Based on his actions, Isa is portrayed as an unlikeable, selfish character. He decides to leave his girlfriend for no discernible reason other than general ruminations about their age gap and resulting lack of compatibility. He stalks an ex-girlfriend and forces himself on her while concurrently making her eat a nut he dropped on the floor, a questionable scene that gains him no points in his treatment of women. Finally, he stalks Bahar and tries to worm his way back into her life, an act of desperation so laughable that it’s painful to watch. Isa seemingly wants what he doesn’t have until he possesses it, then he doesn’t want it anymore. He shows no capacity for true love or dedication, so why would Bahar want anything to do with him?
Ceylan seems to be far more interested in setting a mood than delivering a powerful story, keeping the scripted lines to a bare minimum and relying on the expressions of his actors and himself to carry the narrative. It’s difficult to discern the true nature of his characters as there’s no backstory or definitive conclusion, just scenes following the aftermath of their breakup. This lack of character development is certain to find fans ready to welcome his minimalist style that relies on viewers to connect the dots, as well as detractors in search of decidedly more substance.

The film was shot throughout Turkey, from metropolitan Istanbul to the sun-drenched Aegean seaside town of Kas to the bitter eastern winter of Dogubayazit, giving viewers a breathtaking glimpse of Turkey’s natural beauty. Ceylan’s languorous shots allow viewers to bask in the varied climates of this largely unknown corner of the world, providing a compelling backdrop to the story. Surprisingly, the film was shot on hi-def video, but it’s clearly a case of video done right as it looks comparable to or better than film, with sharp detail and vibrant color. While the film’s languid pace might not appeal to everyone, the presentation and locations are superb.