By Alan Samuel
Brute force and the struggle to survive make Winter Sleep a first class film experience. St forth by Mongrel Media this stark story is now gripping patrons at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas.
Don’t let the three hour length of this movie fool you. Penetrating performances from the principal players will have you listening and reading throughout this tale which comes complete with English subtitles. Set in the Muslim World of the Steppes in Turkey Winter Sleep starts strong with an assault of record.
Thrown into turmoil is the young Nihal whose beauty seems lost to her older husband Aydin. Cast as the complex couple are Melisa Sozen and Haluk Bilginer whose long-winded conversations shed light on the living conditions in the rural community. Elements of religion and charity are deftly dealt with as is the age difference of the pair along with the dichotomy between the have nots and the wealthy.
Numerous surprises pop up which truly take viewers aback. Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan Pulls off a first class drama in a remote wilderness-like environment showing the emotional tug of war of strained relationships, kept women and a frontier mentality that explores the concerns when materialism envelops traditional thinking.
