Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Muzaffer ÖzdemirMahmut
- Mehmet Emin ToprakYusuf
- Zuhal GencerNazan
- Nazan KesalLover
- Feridun KoçJanitor
- Fatma CeylanMother
- Ebru Ceylan
Recommendations
- 100
Entertainment Weekly
Ceylan, who also served as cinematographer, frames the affecting, unstudied performances in gorgeously chosen shots and nonevents that sometimes teeter on the edge of comedy before knocking us breathless with their emotional power. - 100
Christian Science Monitor
Mood, atmosphere, and character are more important than story twists in this unassuming, acutely observant drama. - 90
Variety
An arthouse film par excellence, a consummately made study of loneliness and frustration. - 88
New York Post
If "Starsky & Hutch" is your idea of art, keep your distance from Distant, the droll new movie from maverick Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. If, on the other hand, you're searching for something that will remain with you long after leaving the theater, run, don't walk, to Distant. - 80
The New Yorker
What is most winning about Distant is that it can peer past the grief and find a scrap of comedy. [15 March 2004, p. 154] - 80
TV Guide Magazine
There's also very little dialogue, but what there is is often very funny, and Ceylan is a master of the dead-pan visual gags that reveal volumes about his character. - 75
New York Daily News
Long stretches go by without dialogue or discernible action. But there are significant rewards for those willing to accept the movie's deliberate pace. - 70
Village Voice
Thoughtfully orchestrated and filled with visual wit.
