Film Reviews

Climates

• Rating:
• Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
• Starring: Ebru Ceylan
• Details: Turkey / 97mins (15).

The film opens in sunny Kas, where middle-aged university lecturer Isa (Ceylan) happily snaps pictures of temple ruins for his thesis. His bored young wife Bahar (Ebru Ceylan) stands nearby, waiting with increasing impatience for him to finish. She moves off to the nearby hill to take in the scenery and it's here, with a static shot of the brooding Bahar, writer/director Ceylan lets us know what we're in for. The shot goes on forever and tells us all we need to know: the marriage is over and it's just a matter of time before someone says it. 'Time' being the important word here as long scenes with even longer shots follow, climaxing with Isa and Bahar splitting up. He runs back to a woman with whom he had an affair in Istanbul, but he soon tires of her and turns his attention to winning his wife back. On the surface there's not a lot happening in Climates, and it's arguable that there's not a lot going on underneath either, as laconic dialogue makes way for pretty, almost mathematically thought-out shots. Everything in the frame looks like it has been mulled and thought over to such a degree that Ceylan might suffer from OCD. This both works for and takes away from the film: you can't help but realise that the camera hasn't moved for five minutes, but this allows the viewer to feel that they are sneaking a peek into the lives of real people. Recommended only to those film buffs with the utmost patience.

Review by Gavin Burke