The film starts off sunny, bright, and Mediterranean, then gets brown and blue dark, like autumn, before ending in the muddied whites of winter. And, even though his characters do not vocalize much, this brand of image is powerfully resonant below the ability of most viewers to recognize. They just ‘feel’ something about this film. By contrast, writing is much tougher; it is the intricate carving, bit by bit, of ideas into pieces the percipient can use. And Ceylan is wise enough to let his screenplay use the visual power and immediacy of his images to not only construct his film’s narrative, but to propel it most of the way. So, those critics who have chided his writing ability are simply wrong, as they were with Antonioni’s films, and as they are with Angelopoulos’s.
Climates is a masterpiece, but it is more than that. It is also possibly an augur to even better things cinematically. It is not an overstatement to declare that Ceylan may be the best living filmmaker today. And, if one argues with that claim, then one might only add that he’s the best still at the height of his powers. Yes, Angelopolous’s Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow was great, but he’s been at a high level for decades now. Ceylan, on the other hand, is still in ascent. Watch Climates, and feel his pull.
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