RIFLE RANGE BOY

Winter Sleep (Kis uykusu, Turkish; 2014) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan https://www.amazon.com.au/Winter-Sleep-Movie/ dp/B00PULVVWU This is a lengthy film, prompting one to ponder what message it aims to convey. Is it the strained relationship between the protagonist and his much younger wife? The main character is Aydin, a retired (failed) actor who has retreated to a bitterly cold part of the country to manage a small hotel that is predominantly out of business during winter. He also owns a few rental properties in the area. He regularly writes in an online column, sharing his observations of the world around him and offering veiled sarcasm to no one in particular.  Since he examines everything critically, much like an outsider would, is he being a snob? Is he condescending towards the poor or to those who believe in God? At least, that is how the young wife, Nihal, perceives it. She is exasperated by the fact that she is toiling away in the cold rather than in Istanbul, where thing...

Three monkeys (Üç Maymun, Turkish; 2008) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan The original three wise monkeys, often seen in pop culture, probably originated in Buddhist culture and reached Japan through Buddhist missionaries. The monkeys embody the principle of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." They also have names:  Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru. MK Gandhi received a token of the three monkeys from a Japanese well-wisher. A larger representation is displayed in his memorial in Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram. Gandhi's moniker, which spirals around non-violence, passive resistance, and satyagraha, syncs well with what these monkeys are trying to say. Are they? When we say we do not want to see, hear, or speak evil, do we mean we want to view and consume things that are good, only good? Nature, in its all primitive form, can be an evil creature. The wrath of Nature has no boundaries. The natural forces of Nature bring us blessings in their own way, but they care for two hoot...

About Dry Grasses (Turkish, 2023) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan According to the movie, that is what we are: the dry grasses seen paving the hillside over Eastern Turkey as the frost melts at the start of spring. They look lovely, adding a hue to the mundane colour of nature. Walking over the hill, we step over the grass as they give us a grip on the ground. We do not bother about the grass. They are insignificant. They serve a purpose to their existence, which is not apparent to us. The dry die only to be replaced by the next generation only to whither away, yet again. Is that symbolism of human existence here on Earth? We think very highly of ourselves, that we are indispensable, that our existence means a lot, or perhaps we are God's answer to mankind's problems. We fail to understand that, like the dry grass on the hill, our presence is temporary. Like many before us, we will disappear away one day, often forgotten by annals of time. All the seemingly big problems we are embr...

Kasaba (The Small Town, Turkish; 1997) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan   When we were young, we were told this and that. We were given the impression that if we followed that prescribed path, everything would be okay. Do not stray away from that, and all will be alright. Nobody told us about the shifting goalposts and the unforeseen variables. Our parents wanted us to be a level better than them. That kind of reinforced upon us that they were an embarrassment. We did not want to be anything else but a mould of them. We strive and strive. Still, in the end, like it or not, we would end up thinking of them, thinking like them and repeating all the things they once told and found nonsensical. Nature has other plans. A mishap here and a liaison with the wrong company there. It is mindboggling what disastrous effect a dead parent or a disappearing parent has on the children. Even political turmoil or a natural catastrophe may upset the children's path to adulthood. Little things like the co...

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia  (Turkish,  Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da; 2011) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan Imagine standing out on a hill in the wild on a dark moonless night. You notice a row of moving lights. From its movement, you can guess that it is a moving train. You cannot imagine where it came from and where it is going. Soon you get a complete cacophony of sounds, the chugging of its engine, the bellowing of its high-pitched whistle that pierces the silence of the night and its belching of smoke. When it is nearer, you watch it intently, swerving and crawling. All your pleasant memories of your train travel flash right before you. As the train rapidly manifests, the stream of trains disappears behind the mountains equally swiftly right under your watch. You are left wondering what happened to the passengers, staff and the train itself. What baggage does each of them carry? What bitter-sweet experiences did each of them live to tell? This one exciting movie defines what...