Climates

First, I want to caution people to ignore the Amazon description. I can only think someone very very young and inexperienced at life and relationships wrote that. This is about power, ultimately. A middle-aged man marries a woman he can push around, because she is younger and very gentle of character. He alternates between treating her like a child and bullying her. He has a neurotic, obsessive need to control every relationship he is in... from that with his colleague, to his parents, to his mistress (who he pursues when he can't control her - that's the only way he's interested). The young woman finally - lost in a daily sea of despair - leaves him and builds a life of independence. He can't cope, and goes after her... but will he try to control her again? If she agrees to come back, will he lose interest in her again and simply see her as someone to bully? The film has the slow pacing and silence of a European film; the performances are fine. (Contrary to "juveline crying jags", the young woman is desperately powerless in the relationship, trapped, emotionally abused, and grieving over his affair - a few tears seem to be in order.)

A masterful film from a writer-director-actor at the top of his game. Not much occurs, plot-wise, to the characters of Climates, but in their lives and emotions, which often seep onto the terrain of their features, everything that's vital occurs, and the viewer is rewarded by witnessing these moments play out. Sure, there may not be much to relate to in Isa and Bahar, personally (hopefully), but it is who they are, apart from us, that matters. The way they simultaneously drag themselves to each other AND rip themselves apart, the disdain in their eyes as they recover from intimate moments, the silences and what's said that's always hiding something else. No, they're not lovely people, but they're realistic, and the world that Ceylan creates is one of ever-shifting moods, much like the changing weathers, i.e. climates, that paint the screen in different hues. It is one of the most searing depictions of a relationship I've ever viewed, all the more striking for its distance from me, like the faraway thunder of the storms that rage over Istanbul.I gave this film five stars because it deserves five stars. Now, watch it and decide for yourself if it does, as well!

I cannot recommend this film highly enough.Extraordinarily beautiful photography compliment a pacing which allows the viewer to absorb the rich details. There is an intense effort to capture the elusive quality of realizations which are being sensed in a confused present.Too often we see the drama of relationships being tested, elevated intensities highlighting the struggle to change or remain unchanged. It's less common to see characters struggle quietly with the dawning recognition that there is a bankruptcy in their affection. A couple, Bahar and her older partner Isa on vacation in a coastal town in Turkey, face the painful disintegration of their relationship. The performances which bring this delicate state to the surface are all the more remarkable since they are played by the filmmaker and his wife.The painful inability to function in a relationship, either from one's emotional atrophy or because one has outgrown that union but can't see it, is at the core of the film. The actors play this out with great sympathy avoiding simple answers. While little happens in terms of action, both characters attempt to move forward with their lives, their choices often outpacing the growth of their knowledge.Of note is a small performance by Nazan Kirilmis who plays Serap, one of Isa's former lovers in Istanbul. While her presence in the film is brief it's terrific casting, coloring the film's quiet tone and adding a small flash of fire to the story. Not only does this aid in the films dynamic structure, it helps to clarify Isa's ambivalence, grounding Bahar's pain in real terms.I've watched the film several times, marveling at the storytelling economy, the photography and the performances.I highly recommend this film.

Love the dramatic pacing and the focus on sound. It amplifies the feeling of the moments, however subtle. The feelings of the characters and mood are implied by the weather and the environment. The backdrops are gorgeous and complement the mood. The only thing I hate is how a few of the characters are pretty selfish. I feel really bad for the wife.

The game of symbolism through environments surrounding the characters and weather is a rather fine line that could easily become too heavy, but the film does a good job of balancing focus on characters and their silence. Kind of leaves you wishing we knew more about the characters, yet on the other hand the alienation we as observes feel towards the characters in a way adds to the overall detached atmosphere that reigns throughout, a finely crafted film about relationships and how multifaceted people can be.

And unpleasant in a non-entertaining manner. Why go through that?

Beautiful film. Tightly wound and clear. Made of the real stuff of life as it sorts itself out and is never what we expect it to be......

Different and refreshing. Long still shots will test your patience.

There's a certain poetry to Ceylan's film, 'Climates', to be found in the way that the film lingers meditatively on landscapes, weather conditions and individuals; with the former functioning as an extended metaphor for a dying relationship.The film opens in the summer in a small Turkish resort on the Mediterranean and depicts underlying tensions in the relationship between its protagonists, Isa, (played by Ceylan himself), and his girlfriend Bahar, (played by Ceylan's wife, Ebru). Initially, the problems seem to be with the moody Bahar whose sullen nature casts a damper on the holiday, but as the sparse narrative unfolds we learn that Isa has had a past indiscretion with a woman called Serap and this has coloured their relationship. The holiday ends prematurely with the pair deciding to go their separate ways and we move through autumn - when Isa re-kindles the shallow relationship that he had with Serap which was based on sex - to winter - where he travels to eastern Turkey in the hope of finding genuine satisfaction by being with Bahar again.The film centres on whether a reconciliation is possible and there is an element of dramatic tension in the uncertainties on both sides. A weakness in the narrative, however, lies in its ending which appears to be at odds with the conduct of the characters in the latter stages of the film. The resolution, when it comes, seems unsatisfying, and, as the credits roll, one cannot help thinking: 'Is that it?'

Yeah, this film can divide opinion. On one hand it can be very long, slow and boring whilst on the other it can be seen as a very stylish and intelligent film. I'll settle for the middle ground. Yes, it can drag in places but the film does portay a failing relationship quite well. They have liitle to talk about to one another nor do they have similar interests and this is established in the first 30 mins. They are just incompatible thus break up. The female character takes a back seat untill the final 20 mins so we are left with a rather stagnent piece of the film which drags and can become uncomfortable for some. They finally come together in eastern Turkey whilst she is filming a show in the mountainous, snowy regions. Do they get back together? You'll just have to watch and find out! The artistic and cinematic aspects of the film should be applauded as they are beautiful with the natural environments being used with some spectacular results. Another bonus is the way in which the distance between the couple is apparent especially in the physical sense such as the scene on the beach. Beautifully shot in places but some may find this a long process.

Beautiful film - my favorite of all of Ceylan's movies. Ebru Ceylan and Nuri together on the screen make for a pefect acting couple. The photography is as ever breath taking - and the story is so simple that you wander why nobody else has done it. That's the true mark of genius - making things look simple. Superb - 9/10

"Climates" is a worthy follow up to the memorable "Uzak" by Turkish director and actor Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Ceylan plays the leading role in "Climates" alongside his real life wife Ebru Ceylan. They play an Istanbul couple whose relationship is slowly breaking up and this drama unfolds over three seasons each with very different climates, hence the title of the film. "Climates" starts off in the summer by the Turkish coast, moves to a rainy Istanbul before concluding in blizzard like conditions in a wintery rural location. The film is slow moving and is full of poignant scenes as it follows the life of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's character over the course of the break up ; from wanting rid of his girlfriend, to discovering the loneliness of the single life to trying to win her back again.The film is mesmerising at times and it is gripping throughout. The acting and direction of "Climates" is excellent as well. This film makes for a refreshing antidote to the deluge of dumbed down Hollywood trash that is on offer in the cinemas at the moment. It is an intelligent, well observed film from a talented director.

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