Weighing in at over three hours, this quietly devastating film by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan demands patience and attentiveness, but pays off with revelations about the human condition that are made through probing characterizations and pungent dialogue. A character study that is also the story of a marriage in trouble, Winter Sleep centers on Aydin (Haluk Bilginer), owner of a hotel in the remote mountains of Cappadocia. A former actor who is treated as the lord of the region, Aydin lives with his much younger wife, Nihal (Melisa Sözen), and divorced sister, Necla (Demet Akbag), collecting material for a prospective book on Turkish theatre while posing as a self-styled arbiter of taste and propriety as he pens a regular newspaper column commenting scornfully on what he considers lapses of decorum among the locals. The miniscule plot shifts between Aydin's relationship with a local family who have fallen behind on rent payments, his interference in his wife's charitable activities, and the acidulous criticisms of his sister, whose marriage he had a hand in breaking up. Aydin's hotel is named Othello, but the story doesn't follow Shakespeare's play; rather, the reference seems to be about the poison that words can spread—not only Necla and Nihal's biting observations concerning Aydin, but also Aydin's editorial judgments about everyone surrounding him. A remarkable portrait of people trapped by their cultural and emotional baggage in a majestic landscape that emphasizes just how small they actually are, this is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Winter Sleep
Adopt, 196 min., in Turkish & English w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Bllu-ray: $34.95, May 5 Volume 30, Issue 3
Winter Sleep
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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