Movie No. 13 (2019): WINTER SLEEP

Winter Sleep (2014)
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Cast: Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sozen, Demet Akbag
In Turkish, with English subtitles

The landscape at the backdrop of the movie is vast and wintry. This may suggest that the story to unfold involving the few people in this geography can easily be eclipsed by this enormous and isolated landscape. But the landscape seems just like a large stage and, at the same time, a major character in the narrative. 

I see the film as a character study. A former actor runs a hotel is this isolated landscape. The story unfolds in winter, which is off-season for tourists. One random incident (a child throwing stone at the former actor's car) leads to a series of absurd events. All the characters react to it and the consequences of it. 

The script's strength, in my opinion, is in dialogues in many absorbing conversations in every scene. The characters are well written. But, the most conspicuous aspect of the film is the cinematography, which is not only breathtaking but also enhances the effectiveness of the narrative.

The movie won Palm D'or award of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: April 19, 2019