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Ahlat Agaci

Original language title: Ahlat Agaci

Country: bosnia-herzegovina, bulgaria, france, germany, macedonia, qatar, sweden, turkey

Year: 2019

Running time: 188

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6628102/reference

Michael says: “I am a big fan of Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, despite the dense, sometimes inscrutable films he makes with running times sometimes well over three hours. His first film, DISTANT, plays like a sober, languid, dramatic version of Neil Simon’s THE ODD COUPLE in the desolate Turkish winter in just under two hours. He followed that up with CLIMATES, in which he also stars with his wife, and clocks in at a meager 98 minutes. The gorgeous, THREE MONKEYS, followed, laying the groundwork for what would follow, the epic, ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA, a two and a half hour crime procedural that moves at a glacial pace and is riveting. ANATOLIA picked up two Chlotrudis nominations, one for Cinematography and one for Ensemble Cast. WINTER SLEEP went even further, a grand, three hour and fifteen minute family drama about a hotel owner, that picked up a Best Supporting Actress, and Cinematography nomination. I was thrilled when Chris told me about Ceylan’s latest film, THE WILD PEAR TREE, but disappointed that I had completely missed it’s brief run at the MFA back in early 2019. Continuing the trend of a three hour plus running time, Ceylan also tackles a potentially alienating subject, but succeeds despite these hurdles.

“Ty Burr’s review of this film taught me about a new literary genre, the Bildungsroman — a novel of education — that ‘traces the evolution of a young protagonist from naïve assurance (or cynicism) to a hard-won and wiser adulthood.’ Our protagonist, Sinan, takes this three hour path, and it’s not easy putting up with the first two hours and forty-five minutes or so of his insufferable, immature posturing and single-mindedness. Yet it’s a process, and it’s rather fascinating to watch. The film starts with Sinan’s return from college to his coastal hometown of Conakkale, known for being the site of both ancient Troy and the World War I Battle of Gallipoli. Sinan scoffs at this historical importance and instead, focuses most of his time and energy on trying to get his own newly written novel published. It’s a quirky, metafictional novel that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence from prospective publishers who would prefer him to write a historical saga about the importance of their region. 

“While the attempt to find a publisher is the main focus of the film, in actuality, what drives most of its running time are the tense, philosophical arguments that Sinan has with the various adults he encounters where he displays that insufferable blend of cockiness and naivete that is often prevalent in educated youth. The centerpiece of the film, similar to the one in WINTER SLEEP, involves what begins as a harmless conversation between Sinan and a successful author who he happens to encounter at a local bookstore, that slowly spirals into an awkward debate and eventually a tense argument as the author, after minutes of polite engagement, slowly begins to lose his temper and engages Sinan in a frustrating argument. Ceylan orchestrates these conversations so masterfully they are like watching a car wreck on the side of the road that you cannot look away from. Another interminable conversation between Sinan and two friends of his in the clergy is less successful. Shot beautifully as the trio make their way down a mountainside road, the conversation went on for so long that I kept zoning out and having to tune myself back in.

“Interspersed throughout is the important through line revealing the difficult relationship between Sinan and his father, Idris. A compulsive gambler, Idris is also a grade school teacher who can’t seem to prioritize the basics needs of keeping his family’s home powered when it comes to managing his money. His wife is resigned to the situation, but Sinan bristles at every encounter with his father. In the end, even as Sinan has weathered the transition from youth to a more mature, experienced understanding of life, Idris is revealed as something more than the deadbeat who the rest of the town rolls their eyes at.

“Ceylan is an impressive director, weaving strands of conversation and philosophical debates over expanses of time and bringing them together to a greater whole. THE WILD PEAR TREE takes its time, and you certainly feel it’s length, but it’s engaging enough that I was rarely bored, although i must confess it was difficult to put up with Sinan’s petulant posturing. Dogs Demirkol, the actor portraying Sinan reminded me of a young Mark Ruffalo, which might help some, but didn’t endear him to me. Murat Cemcir is an energetic presence as Idris, even when he is disappointing those around him again and again. Visually, THE WILD PEAR TREE is stunning, as all of Ceylan’s films tend to be. Working again with Chlotrudis-nominated cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki, the shifts from intense close-ups to sudden expanses of a landscape that is startling, desolate and beautiful all at the same time, serve the story while continuously absorbing the viewer in a way that is as compelling as the tensest argument. 4 cats

 

Chris says: “Even more talk than WINTER SLEEP, though at least now there’s literal movement in some of the marathon exchanges. If this were about 45 minutes shorter, it’d be near-perfect, like those rare wordless moments where the wind picks up and the accumulated tension suddenly arrests and overwhelms (in a good way.) 4 cats

 

 

The Wild Pear Tree

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