Uzak

An astute examination of a friendship disintegrating under pressure from time, place and social inequality. A photographer living in Istanbul - once full of lofty artistic ambition, now resigned to an almost cynical pragmatism - agrees to put up a cousin from the remote village he used to call home. His guest, however, is unable to find work on any of the ships that might take him abroad and begins to outstay his welcome. With its laconic, faintly elliptical narrative style, its subtle, striking compositions, and its superb performances, the film has much to say both about masculinity and about modern life in the Western(ised) world. Not that the film is all doom and gloom. A droll wit ensures that its none too rosy take on friendship and fulfilment never feels forced or oppressive. Indeed, a delicious sight gag involving Tarkovsky's Stalker‚ typifies the film's distinguishing blend of warm affection and wry scepticism.