Distant

– Uzak/Distant chronicles the numbing loneliness, longing, and isolation in the lives of two men who a..

Type:
Movie
Rating:
7.70 / 10
Duration:
One Hour and 50 Minutes
Release Year:
2002
Original Name:
Uzak
Distant (2002) - Also known as Uzak

Uzak/Distant chronicles the numbing loneliness, longing, and isolation in the lives of two men who are consumed by their own problems. Istanbul photographer Mahmut reluctantly receives his relative Yusuf, but the mingling of their lives does little to alleviate their detachment.

Release Date:

20 Dec 2002

Language:

Turkish

MPAA Content-Rating:
Not Rated

Director:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writer:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (scenario), Cemil Kavukçu (additional writing)

Main Actors:

Muzaffer Özdemir, Mehmet Emin Toprak, Zuhal Gencer, Nazan Kesal

Plot:

Mahmut, a 40 year old independent photographer, is a "village boy made good" at least professionally in the big city - Istanbul in this case. After his wife leaves him, he falls into an existential crisis. Then comes his cousin Yusuf, who left his native village after a local factory closed down, effectively unemploying over half the local men. He looks to Istanbul for salvation: a job on board a ship sailing abroad, at once exciting and crucial to supporting his family in the desperately poor village. The distance between the two men is apparent at once, and becomes increasingly pronounced. Whereas Mahmut is adusted to big city life and suffers from many of its neuroses, Yusuf is a lonely, excentric country worker with annoying nervous and hygienic habits, and a sick mother back home he must somehow support. This intimate drama was filmed in the director's apartment in Istanbul, using all his furniture, appliances, rooms, car and so on as the film's props. The actor playing Yusuf is actually the director's real-life cousin, and the actor playing Mahmut is an actual friend, a non-professional actor.

Awards:

31 wins & 3 nominations.

Production:

New Yorker

Ratings:
Internet Movie Database:
7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes:
89%
Metacritic:
84%