Review of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) by Sally J — 04 Sep 2012
Once upon a time in Anatolia drops us into the middle of a police procedural where the two perpetrators of a murder are being driven around the countryside by their captors looking for the body. The motivation for the killing and background of the killers remain unclear. Information is drip-fed to us as we are gradually exposed to the murky and sordid secrets of a policeman, doctor and prosecutor.
Ceylan has made his first masterpiece reminiscent of Tarkovsky and Bergman at their cold and clinical best. Long lingering takes, beautifully lit in a charged and brooding atmosphere compliment the sometimes banal conversations ranging from cheese to political corruption. Revelations abound but blink and you'll miss them. This is a film for grown-ups not afraid to invest two and a half hours of their lives into an, at times, snail-paced piece of classic cinema whose enigmatic power rumbles on long after the credits roll.
This review of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) was written by Sally J on 04 Sep 2012.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia has generally received very positive reviews.
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