‘Winter Sleep is from beginning to end a pleasure to watch (*****)’ – Volkskrant

By: Pauline Kleijer – 09/25/14, 11:54

© epa. The most beautiful part of Turkey’s Cappadocia region is the breathtaking backdrop of Wintersleep.

Review A forgiving character study that takes the viewer on the wrong move, smothering and awakens.

• • Verdict our reviewer
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• Extraterrestrial beautiful landscapes, stunning cinematography, strong actors and a sophisticated rhythm

if he is a prince, surrounded by nationals, as behaving Aydin himself. His kingdom is made up of his hotel, situated in the most beautiful part of Cappadocia, where the fantastic rock formations and cave dwellings attract the tourists throughout the year.

He also owns a number of properties in the area. But Aydin (Haluk Bilginer) sees himself as a writer rather than as a slumlord. Each week he writes a column for The voice of the steppe, the regional newspaper. Pompous, a little unworldly, perhaps, but the worst kind. That is the image that director Nuri Bilge Ceylan at the beginning of Winter Trail Aydin outlines. Only later come bursting in his good-natured image.

Necla His sister, who lives since her divorce from him, has already analyzed it in destructive ways. His columns, she says, are about things of which he has no sense. And his newspaper is a local rag that nobody reads. “We used to admire you. We thought you’d do special things sneers Necla. “The mountain has brought forth a mouse,” Aydin replied laconically.

With his younger handsome woman Nihal (Melisa Sözen) lives Aydin years at war. He has no idea why she hates him. That lack of self-insight in the course of Wintersleep increasingly clear; Aydin is a man who knows so well the apparent fact that he kicks his own disguises. Which, moreover, has not been said that women are darlings in his life.

Extraterrestrial beautiful scenery
films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan never let themselves without a little effort to conquer but Wintersleep (awarded the Golden Palm at Cannes) draws the viewer into the story very quickly. Unlike his grandiose, meditative crime epic Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) the relationship drama contains plenty of dialogue. And although Ceylan takes time – more than three hours – does not feel the film too long. Thanks to the utterly beautiful landscapes, beautiful camera work, strong actors and the sophisticated rhythm Wintersleep from beginning to end a joy to watch.

It is especially the scenario that Ceylan the bar for his mastery again higher places. He wrote it with his wife Ebru Ceylan and based it on a number of stories by Anton Chekhov, especially Outstanding people (1886) and My Wife (1892). The humor of Chekhov, has always been a source of inspiration for Ceylan, survived and is doing remarkably well in the 21st century Turkish steppe. Slowly but surely, it becomes clear how the ratios are exactly between Aydin, his wife, sister, tenants and employees.

Wintersleep is as villainous as forgiving character study that the viewer often the wrong move, asleep soothes and awakens again. A layered, subtle but painful portrait of a man in crisis, which Ceylan not only to look Aydin move, but the masks all of us seem to slide away.