Distant (100 Films, 100 Countries) Turkey

Distant, 2002, Turkey

Distant is a film directed by Nuri Bilde Ceylan. It is about two men, cousins, and their difficulties in life and in relationships. At first glance, these two men have little in common and are in fact quite opposites, but both men are profoundly lonely.

Mahmut lives a life of solitude after his divorce. He has a successful career as a photographer and a part-time lover, but his every day existence is one of detachment. Then his cousin, Yusuf comes to visit looking for work. His town is suffering greatly from the recession and he has his eyes set on a job on the ships. Yusuf is a socially awkward, lonely naivete. He is also inconsiderate of Mahmut and this causes a hitch in their relationship from the start.

The film starts off very slow. It takes time to develop and for the viewer to care where it is going and where the characters will end up. There is little dialog in the film which at first was a deterrent. As the film proceeds, it does what all good films strive to do: it shows rather than tells the characters hearts and souls. It is a story of every day life and everyday people. It is not a beautiful film in the classic sense. It is simple and unadorned.

It is a character piece about two halves of the same whole. Two men dealing with the same crippling loneliness for different reasons. Yusuf by circumstance and Mahmut by choice. One has seen too little of the world, one has seen too much.