Racconto di due stagioni

While we were patiently and curiously waiting for Merve Dizdar's award-winning performance throughout the movie, it was disappointing to encounter the parallel universe version of Gülben's character in Masumlar Apartment, or even less. I think many viewers will agree that Ece Bagci did a more impressive and convincing job in terms of art with her performance as Sevim. I guess we can say that political decisions have once again overshadowed creativity and art.

Apart from that, when I think about Nuri Bilge Ceylan's filmography, it was a movie where I saw humorous elements that made me smile for the first time after the melon scene placed next to the corpse in the trunk in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. But unlike Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, the dialogues of the characters felt like they were actually the director's monologue. I had the same feeling, especially in Winter Sleep and Pear Tree. The film stands out among the director's recent films in terms of flow, humor and abundance of dialogue.

A not very pleasant character is the lead. He is selfish, self regretting, seeks love of too young girls, wants a women, because a friend wants her, has no aim to help other people, talks a lot about bad circumstances, but does nothing to improve something. Truly, not somebody we want to follow as lead character. But .... movies are long enough to do a lot of self reflecting during viewing. And in the end I had to admit to myself: my own character is - very sadly - quite close to that of this lead character. And he survives - so I might survive, too.

Don't be afraid of the movie length. In fact I could have studied the characters for another hour... Fully recommended !

An absolute masterpiece! I'm tempted to give it five stars, but I'll determine that upon rewatch. About Dry Grasses is a powerful, albeit quiet tale that explores the pursuit of meaning and the lack of control in life, told from the singular lens of a bored and self-absorbed man trapped in a teaching position. In its bloated three-hour runtime, Ceylan seems to simulate the monotonous quality of rural life and brings an authentic personality and candidness to the characters by means such as using minimal music, featuring prolonged scenes, etc. Some might consider this relentless realism as boring, but the script isn't short of emotionally riveting moments and has a slight wittiness and humorousness in the dialogue that makes it very entertaining to sit through. Obviously, all the performances are tremendous and the beautiful cinematography highlights the alienation and oppression that characters must feel. Especially with Deniz Celiloglu, who threads a fine line between angst and friendliness yet always earns the audience's empathy despite his questionable behaviour. More than a mere narrative, About Dry Grasses serves as a profound character study, beckoning us into Samet's psyche, while simultaneously encouraging us to critique him. Ultimately, About Dry Grasses works as a film about the fragility of friendship, the perils of narcissism and serves as a cautionary tale on not letting our human nature detract from our appreciation of life. This is definitely one of the best films of 2023 that I've watched so far, and also one of the most underrated.

Once again, N. B. Ceylan has presented a magnificent gift to his audience and all cinema-lovers.

Ceylan, successfully following some essential footsteps of his former movies "Winter Sleep" and "The Wild Peer Tree", portraits the crises of restricted lives of (dazzlingly perfomed) characters feeling stuck in a provincial region of Turkey. It is even possible to call these movies a trilogy on masculinity, conflicts of intellectual class, "banality of evil" (as Hannah Arendt calls) and anti-heroes stuck in provincial stability, seeking for so-called "a better life elsewhere."

Regarding the visual narration of the movie, it is obvious that Ceylan has embraced a number of innovation on designing the visual aspects of the story; moving cameras, short-cuts for dialogue scenes etc. Nevertheless, the movie also preserves the beauty of Ceylan's well-known photographic cinema language.

Still, "Onca Upon A Time in Anatolia", among the works of N. B. Ceylan, is a cinematic top to me. And surely it is an extemely high bar for not only Turkish cinema. In this context, it may be asserted that "About Dry Grasses" could have easily been called a masterpiece if it belonged to any other director.

While I'm not accustomed to writing reviews, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on this film. The experience leaves me with mixed emotions. Visually, it's undeniably stunning, but the narrative's prolonged nature leaves a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste. With a runtime of 3 hours, the first two are rather tedious, contrasting sharply with the spectacular final hour. This is perhaps the most disappointing thing about the movie because it's well seen that this has potential. The final hour stands out as one of the best cinematic experiences I've had, but it's the initial two hours that fail to captivate. The slow pace, extended duration, and occasional loss of coherence contribute to my reservations.

Regarding the characters, the protagonist is remarkably selfish, self-centered, and outright unpleasant to others. While I appreciate the appeal of characters challenging viewers' perspectives, personally, I struggle to enjoy a narrative with such a malevolent main character. This character type represents the one I find most detestable.

In terms of character impact, none, except for the woman, left a significant impression on me. She undeniably stands out as the most intriguing character in the entire movie. The final scene, where she confronts her friend, emerges as one of the most impactful moments in the film.

Despite being a polarizing film that either garners love or disdain, I encourage individuals to give it a chance. Maybe not solely for the characters or the storyline, but there's a potential for valuable lessons to be gleaned from this cinematic endeavor.