Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageFate (2001)
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz
Movie review
From Time Out London
Already showcased at Cannes and Edinburgh, this first part of writer-director-editor Zeki Demirkubuz’s ‘Tales of Darkness’ trilogy reveals another uncompromising Turkish talent to merit comparisons with Nuri Bilge Ceylan. There’s a strong literary inspiration, however, in this adaptation of Camus’ ‘The Stranger’, where a customs clerk’s defiantly non-committal attitude to life – whether it’s his recently expired mother, the violent dealings of his dodgy neighbour or the tangled love life of his female co-worker – still somehow conspires to land him in hot water. Is his abnegation of moral choice a choice in itself, or is free will utterly bound to the whims of fate?There’s no doubting Demirkubuz’s confidence with his absolutely attuned cast, or his control of the film’s slowly unfurling rhythm (not unlike a Levantine Hou Hsiao-Hsien), though the lengthy dialogue sequences in which the legal authorities battle to understand the protagonist’s seemingly opaque motives add a certain drag factor. Still, Demirkubuz shows no fear at squaring up to the big questions and Serdar Orçin is a uniquely brooding yet quizzical presence in the central role.
Author: TJ
Time Out London Issue 1850: February 1-8 2006
Cast & crew
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz
Producer: Zeki Demirkubuz
Cast: Serdar Orcin, Zeynep Tokus, Engin Günaydin, Demir Karahan, Feridun Koc, Necmi Aykar, Sehsuvar Aktas, Nazan Kirilmis, Turkan Ince, Apo Demirkubuz full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 120 mins
UK Release: Feb 3 2006
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now