Winter Sleep

A long theatrical play of dialogue and moods, thoughts and reflections, the absence of love or purpose, mixed with unchallenged and unsolved social inequalities, all placed into beautiful shots amid an astonishing natural environment. Very well played, with an almost unbearable iceberg of surpressed emotions and intellectually justified lack of action. Thought-provoking and emotionally touching, even if in a disturbing way.

I read some reviews below and ı am surprised. people say that conversations are meanless and long etc... This kind of criticism and comments make no sense. This is not a Hollywood movie which characters say everything directly just because films like these are making for teenage minded people. I mean sometimes you can not say what you want to. sometimes you use long path to home... moreover dialogs are serving the philosophy of movie. This movie is the best of Nuri Bilge's, about ego and contrasts between arrogance-virtue. You can also thing about your attitudes, this film makes you to do so. Main characters's (Aydin) last words are impressive, with these words film having a emotional and touching side. A good movie for people who like thinking about themselves

This movie feels like you're peeking into the lives of these characters, and it can be very awkward.

The story is, basically, a conflict between a landlord and a tenant. The main landlord is kind of an asshole. He's snobbish and condescending, but the tenant isn't the most likeable either.

These characters feel like people. Flawed and conflicted. Their story is more fascinating to watch that it would seem at first.

The film is very long and very slow, but instead of being boring, it's relaxing, despite how unrelaxed the characters may be (they spend a lot of the time arguing). It's also really tense. Tense and relaxing. Oddly nostalgic.

If I were to compare it to a more recent movie, that would be Hu Bo's An Elephant Sitting Still.

Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or at 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Winter Sleep arrives with high expectations but succeeds amazingly well in living up to its new-found honour for this Turkish drama is simply one of the most engrossing, mesmerizing & satisfying narratives to surface on the silver screen in the past year, and is definitely one of the best films of 2014.

Set in Anatolia, the story of Winter Sleep concerns Aydın; the wealthy owner of a mountaintop hotel who was once an actor but has since fallen into the hibernation mode over the years. The plot covers the chaos his self-involved persona brings to his small kingdom as the animosity of his loved ones & the poor people under his reign begins surfacing once the winter approaches.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the film takes a very methodical, patient & firm approach with its narrative which does a stellar job in slowly unraveling the inner details of the various characters inhabiting this story. The entire story is an amalgamation of one conversation after another but it's how each discussion begins & ends plus seamlessly switches from one to another that makes it such an immersive experience.

The locations are wonderfully chosen, set pieces are finely detailed, the hotel itself creates a calm but secluded ambiance which becomes all the more suffocating on the advent of winter. Camera-work is mostly still yet effective plus the landscapes are beautifully photographed, its 196 minutes of runtime never really bothers for the most part, thanks to its breezy storytelling & the score makes its presence felt just when it's required.

Coming to the performances, every single actor here chips in strongly in their given roles & leave nothing to complain about. Haluk Bilginer delivers a magnificent performance as Aydın, and is brilliantly supported by Demet Akbağ & Melisa Sözen who play his sister & wife, respectively. The rest of the cast also shines since each character is deftly scripted & gradually developed which differentiates them from caricatures.

On an overall scale, Winter Sleep is an intensely gripping, masterfully told & exquisitely layered study of a self-righteous character that also takes an interesting look at failing relationships, old age regrets, class divides, and the morals of right & wrong. And despite its challenging runtime, dialogue-driven plot & slow-burn narration, it manages to be a truly immersive & absorbing cinema that's worthy of your time & money. Highly recommended.

All the movie scenes shooted in winter but somehow the movie gives incredible warmth, discussing delicate points like religion, poverty, honor, justice and love in magnificent way.