I did not see a whole lot of Turkish films, but “Once Upon A Time In Anatolia” had been on my wishlist for some time. The film starts suddenly with a group of people in the desert. Slowly it becomes clear that they are policemen, a doctor, a prosecuter and a soldier with two suspects of a murder trying to find the body. The first two-thirds of this 150 minute film are very nice with beautiful camera work and a Coen-like atmosphere with dark humour and a minimalistic approach. Then the film stops even more suddenly than it started. In the last part the film is more ‘normal’ again. The characters have quite long conversations about a variety of subjects and at one point the party goes to a remote village to pause and these elements give a nice peek into the rural Turkish society.
A nice film to see some time when you want something tranquil.
