Distant

Name: Distant
Genre: Drama
Released: March 12, 2004
Duration: 110 min
Rating: 84

2004

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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8.0

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8.0	Your Score
8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

New Yorker Films | Release Date: March 12, 2004

Summary: A photographer who is haunted by the feeling that the gap between his ideals and his real life is growing finds himself obliged to put up in his apartment a young relative who has left behind his village looking for a job aboard a ship in Istanbul to go abroad.

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Genre(s): Drama

Runtime: 110 min

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

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. Read full review

100

Michael Wilmington

A Chekhovian tale of major artistic power. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

The narrative, capped by a brief bad dream and the capture of a mouse, isn't always legible, but it feeds into a monumental, luminous visual style like no other. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

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. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

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. Read full review

Roger Ebert

A movie like this touches everyday life in a way that we can recognize as if Turkey were Peoria. I can imagine a similar film being made in America, although Americans might talk more. Read full review

Stanley Kauffmann

The film might be called a moral travelogue. Instead of showing us mosques and tourist spots in beguiling old Istanbul, it follows a couple of ordinary Turkish men in drab surroundings and affirms that they breathe the same doubt-laden air as much of the rest of the world. Read full review

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User Reviews

adhiban

Feb 17, 2012

When I watch the scenes where both lead roles did the same thing, It reminds me 'life is a cycle' and make me feel like 'this movie is touching the core of reality'. Entire cast is awesome and the theme is vivid. I bet, you will give a honorable position in your mind to the director afterWhen I watch the scenes where both lead roles did the same thing, It reminds me 'life is a cycle' and make me feel like 'this movie is touching the core of reality'. Entire cast is awesome and the theme is vivid. I bet, you will give a honorable position in your mind to the director after watching this movie.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

theseparator

Dec 30, 2013

A simple story from Turkish Director Nuri Bilge Ceylon: a man tries to cope with his life in the dismal conditions of an Istanbul winter. He's successful, but unhappy. Beautifully shot. Simplistic in story. Great performances by the cast. A must see for any Ceylon fan, or fan of foreign film.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Andys_Reviews

Jul 21, 2013

I first have to say that it is beautifully shot with some truly excellent cinematography. The sound design is quite interesting too, with sounds that would normally be pushed right to the back taking centre stage as the visuals do their work. I thought the performances of the two mainI first have to say that it is beautifully shot with some truly excellent cinematography. The sound design is quite interesting too, with sounds that would normally be pushed right to the back taking centre stage as the visuals do their work. I thought the performances of the two main characters were excellent but I felt it lacked a bit of direction. The narrative tended to drift along without really finding anything of any substance to bring it to life. Still, I felt it was a worthy effort and worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

hamidgoodarzi

Feb 27, 2023

A good movie is both enjoyable to watch and a movie that is noticed and stays in the mind. An unpretentious but powerful drama with a unique performance by both main actors, which shows a tactful direction. One of the attractive points of the film is the direction and cinematography. AnotherA good movie is both enjoyable to watch and a movie that is noticed and stays in the mind. An unpretentious but powerful drama with a unique performance by both main actors, which shows a tactful direction. One of the attractive points of the film is the direction and cinematography. Another good point of the movie is the few dialogues, but appropriate. The film is a story of loneliness and alienation of people in today's life.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

batuhanchu

Aug 28, 2022

An adventure that begins with a rooster crowing and ends with a mouse shout. The suffocating and gloomy vibe of the early 2000s will be with you throughout the film. A lonely life in the city is accompanied by a short-term guest. The acting is very natural and realistic. Nuri Bilge Ceylan'sAn adventure that begins with a rooster crowing and ends with a mouse shout. The suffocating and gloomy vibe of the early 2000s will be with you throughout the film. A lonely life in the city is accompanied by a short-term guest. The acting is very natural and realistic. Nuri Bilge Ceylan's first film I have seen and I think it will not be the last.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DanC.

Nov 17, 2005

Beautiful and highly emotionally effective in parts, but the price to be paid is too high. Long stretches of no dialogue, no action, nothing but beautiful visuals or ponderously serious scenes of a man walking silently across a field.A film doesn't have to be so slow and take itself so Beautiful and highly emotionally effective in parts, but the price to be paid is too high. Long stretches of no dialogue, no action, nothing but beautiful visuals or ponderously serious scenes of a man walking silently across a field.A film doesn't have to be so slow and take itself so seriously to be great or to say something important about life. At some point, the intentionally glacial pace becomes self-indulgent on the director's part. Yet somewhere within this flawed framework is a moving story with genuine power to captivate the viewer.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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