Volume
III
Issue 17
Summer 2001
Suspenseful in Sweden, Torpid in Turkey
by Edie Ellis
[These films were presented as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's New Directors/New Films Festival in March 2001.]Directed by Reza Parsa, 2000
Sweden. 106 minutes. With English subtitles
Featuring Per Graffman (Ali), Emil Odepark (Leo), Sasha Becker (Sara)Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2000
Turkey. 130 minutes. With English subtitles
Featuring Muzaffer Ozdemir (Muzaffer), M. Emin Ceylan (Emin), M. Emin Toprak (Saffet), Muhammed Zimbao_lu (Ali)
Before the Storm
Tension. Subtle, building, constant. Eloquently executed, it's the depth of the relationships that makes this thriller work on many levels. It's high drama without being overdramatic.
Ali is a Middle Eastern taxi driver living in a small town in his adopted home of Sweden. He has a Swedish wife, two teenage daughters, intelligence, empathy, a sense of humor and a past. His activist past makes an appearance, and he is forced to confront himself in a very human way.
Emil Odepark as Leo in Before the Storm.
Image courtesy Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Leo is a classmate of Ali's daughter, Sara. Caught up in the pains of growing up, his present will highly affect his future. Isn't this true for all of us? The decisions we make in any given moment, no matter how well thought out, could potentially affect the rest of our lives. Often, they are not thought out at all: If we're feeling trapped, we're probably also feeling alone. Leo must spend a lot of time fending off the local bully. A chance encounter with Ali gives him a moment of relief, but it's a short moment.
Ali's and Leo's stories are both parallel and intertwined. They both have to make impossible decisions. We are brought into the intimacy of their lives and the intricacies of their decisions.
Even the minor characters in this film are well fleshed out and well-acted. By allowing everyone's humanity to be exposed, the director has made it harder to lump them into some category of type. How is it possible that the bully might come from a nice family?
It's a good story, told well, with characters who might worm their way into your psyche.
The lesson of taking responsibility for one's actions is not an easy one to learn. Sometimes understanding the multiple layers of what that means is hard. Before the Storm is not afraid to look.
Clouds of May
A little context.... I saw this film at 10:30 am, the morning after the Academy Awards. I have to see the Academy Awards at my mother's house in New Jersey because I don't have a television. In order to get back to the city in time to see Clouds of May, I took a 7:41 am bus. Did I mention that my husband and I had to sleep on the pull-out couch mattress at my mother's? I just wanted you to understand that it was a challenge, because Clouds of May is...
Slow. Now there is nothing wrong with slow. You can really get into the rhythm of slow. And long. You can. Sometimes. In my defense, I would like to point out that even the characters in the movie yawn. Several times. Several of them.
Muzaffer is a filmmaker in Istanbul. He returns to his village to make a film about his family. At first they resist, but over time the need to tell their stories wins out over their protests. Of course, people don't always listen to you when you need them to.
M. Emin Toprak as Saffet in Clouds of May.
Image courtesy Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan dedicates the film to Chekhov and pays homage to The Cherry Orchard. Muzaffer's father, Emin, is trying to save the trees on his land from the imminent arrival of government officials who will take them away, unless he can come up with documentation that he doesn't have. Muzaffer's nephew, Ali, is a small boy who covets a musical watch. His aunt gives him an egg to carry around in his pocket for 35 days without breaking it to prove his sense of responsibility. If he succeeds, she will speak to his father about the watch. Emin and Ali are at different ends of their innocence, while Muzaffer and his friends have their own agenda.
Nature is a character in the film. Realism. Zen. I don't know how conscious the filmmaker was of the Zen aspects. Watching Clouds of May, we spend a few days in the life of some people in a Turkish village. We laugh a little. We yawn a little.
About the Author:
Edie Ellis is a regular contributor to the Newsletter. She most recently reviewed the film Mossane in Newsletter Issue 14.
Resources:
Information about this and other film festivals at Lincoln Center is available at: http://www.filmlinc.com/ndnf/ndnf.htm