Today sees the theatrical release of Once upon a Time in Anatolia, the new film directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, co-scripted with him by wife Ebru Ceylan and Ercan Kesal. I saw Ceylan's previous film, Three Monkeys, at the BFI upon its release, and thought there were positive signs of him branching out and away from the more autobiographical territory of Distant (2002)and Climates (2006). Anatolia extends the turn further, bringing to the police procedural a keen sensitivity for ordinary human beings. I saw it at the beginning of this week as part of the AV Festival, and reviewed it here, at Front Row Reviews. Ambitious and challenging, for me it's Ceylan's best film yet.
