Distant

Synopsis: Mahmut, a 40 year old independent photographer, is a "village boy made good" at least professionally in the big city - Istanbul in this case. After his wife leaves him, he falls into an existential crisis. Then comes his cousin Yusuf, who left his native village after a local factory closed down, effectively unemploying over half the local men. He looks to Istanbul for salvation: a job on board a ship sailing abroad, at once exciting and crucial to supporting his family in the desperately poor village. The distance between the two men is apparent at once, and becomes increasingly pronounced. Whereas Mahmut is adusted to big city life and suffers from many of its neuroses, Yusuf is a lonely, excentric country worker with annoying nervous and hygienic habits, and a sick mother back home he must somehow support. This intimate drama was filmed in the director's apartment in Istanbul, using all his furniture, appliances, rooms, car and so on as the film's props. The actor playing Yusuf is a
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Production: New Yorker
  31 wins & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Metacritic:
84
Rotten Tomatoes:
89%
NOT RATED
Year:
2002
110 min
493 Views


DISTAN:

Mahmut, it's Mom.

I called earlier, but you were out.

Take care.

Are you looking for someone?

- Does Mahmut Ozdemir live here?

- Yes, he lives here.

I'm a relative of his from back home.

- Did you ring the bell?

- There's no answer.

Sometimes the bell shorts out.

- Do you think he went out?

- I didn't see him leave.

- Good morning, Kamil.

- Good morning.

Could you accept a package for me?

Sometimes they won't let me

sign for it.

- Please try anyway.

- Of course.

- Kamil.

- Yes?

Go buy the things on the list.

- Right now?

- Yes. I've got some cooking to do.

- All right.

- Hurry up.

Yusuf?

Sorry, I completely forgot

you were coming.

That's okay. No problem.

- What's the news?

- Back home, everybody's the same.

Do you still work at the factory?

The economic crisis put the factory

out of business.

My father was dismissed. Then me.

There's no work at all now.

- How many people lost their job?

- A thousand.

That's a whole town full of people!

It sure is.

What will you do on the ship?

I'll work as a cabin-boy.

Or a steward.

I'll do whatever job

they've got for me.

Sailors make a lot of money.

Money in US dollars.

And you see the world.

There's no economic

crisis at sea.

The dollars make up

for the inflation.

It may not be that easy.

You'll be away on long journeys.

Can you take that

kind of loneliness?

Have you thought about that?

You know I like to travel.

But the main thing is to earn money.

That's why I'm here.

I also want to travel!

You've been everywhere,

so why not me?

Every place ends up

looking the same.

How many days before

you find a job?

- I don't know exactly.

- You said about a week on the phone.

I guess it'll take a week or so.

Yeah, about a week.

At night, be careful

of the mouse glue strip.

If you step on it,

you'll be stuck there all night.

And don't use the toilet in the

bathroom. Use the other one.

- The one by the entrance?

- Yes.

And we only smoke in the kitchen.

- OK then, good night.

- Good night.

- Come this way.

- Hello.

Is this where the freighters come in?

They dock here but

the offices are in Karakoy.

- They dock here?

- Yes, they do.

But the offices are in Karakoy.

So I can't get a job

directly on board?

No. Go to the shipping agents

on Monday.

I'll come. You set it up.

The thing is, I'm coming

with someone.

No, he is someone

from my hometown.

Will any girls be coming?

Great.

OK.

We'll be there.

See you tomorrow.

Hi.

Welcome back.

- God, it's cold!

- It's so late.

- I was getting worried.

- God, the snow is bad.

How could you go out

in this weather?

My socks are soaked.

Can I dry them on the radiator?

Yes, you can.

- How'd the job hunting go?

- Well, I went down to the port.

- I'll dry my shoes, too.

- All right.

It seems you don't find jobs

at the port.

I was told to go to

Karakoy on Monday.

I walked around Eminonu.

I'd better put on a new

pair of socks.

Money doesn't make you

happy any more.

And I think you're looking

for your past here.

- You're rambling.

- Maybe. But have you already forgotten...

...our climb to the summit of Reshko to get...

...a better shot of the White Valley?

You used to say then you'd make

films like Tarkovsky.

So why are you trying

to forget those days?

- Photography is finished, man.

- No, it's not.

The mountains, too.

Maybe it's you who's done for.

You're announcing your death

before it's happened.

You don't have the right

to bury your ideals...

...or make everything commercial.

Hey, Arif,

where are the chicks?

- They all backed out.

- What do you mean?

We've reserved the whole Sunday.

Where are they?

Not here. At the cinema

or wherever. F*** it.

You're weaseling out of it again.

Photography or women.

Which do you prefer?

I prefer photography.

Come on. Photography is dead.

This fits here normally.

But it's too loose.

Tell your mother

to wrap some tape here.

- Hello.

- There's a package. Shall I get it now?

Please.

If you want, I'll wait for it.

Okay.

For the love of God.

We can't find anything

once we've put it down.

Here it is.

- Thanks.

- Good evening.

Good evening to you, too.

There's also a problem

with the dust bag.

Let's go to your house to show

your mother how to attach it.

- I think I'd better go to bed.

- Okay.

- Good night. See you tomorrow.

- Good night.

Could you close the door?

Hi Mom, what are you up to?

Is your toothache better?

Why don't you let that old tooth-puller

Nuri take care of it?

Cause Mahmut's sleeping...

I am sure Nuri gives credit.

I'll pay it once I earn it.

Tell him.

What are you ashamed of?

Yeah, so I've been around.

I was told to go to Karaky

on Monday.

What did Dad do?

There's no chance the factory

will take him back.

He should stop kidding himself.

They always say that.

Anyway, I've got to hang up.

Stop putting off that tooth,

Mom. OK?

I'll call you again. Good night.

Can I take the magazine

over there?

I'll turn on the light for a second.

It's late. Let's turn that off.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Do you know where

the sailors' coffeehouse is?

Behind that hilltop.

May I sit here?

At your age, I thought the same.

But listen.

I've worked on the ships for

months now. And I have nothing.

I never could send any money home.

I am broke just like Tarzan.

Listen to me. There's no work

and no money on the ships.

Forget it while you're still ahead.

It's an empty dream.

- Hi.

- Come on in, Yusuf.

It's snowing like crazy.

Where were you till now?

I was trying to

find a job. You know.

So what happened?

Well, some said they would call me.

Others told me to come back

or that they'd think about it.

- What are you doing?

- What can I do? Surfing around...

Is there a problem with the job?

No. There's no problem.

It looks like they want someone

to act as a guarantor.

No guarantor, no job.

That's easy enough.

You can take care of that.

But I don't know anybody

in Istanbul.

I don't know what to do.

There was something here.

I just can't seem to...

The God-damned thing

has 50 channels

but there's only sh*t!

What a rip-off. Look at that!

I want to call home.

Can I use the phone?

All right.

The phone in the back room.

OK, go use it.

He refused to give us any credit?

What a bastard!

When I get back,

I'll punch him real good.

I'll punch out

his teeth one by one.

Anyway, forget about it.

I'll send you some money

as soon as I get a job.

Mahmut's going to Anatolia

to take pictures

and he says I should go with him.

If he gives me money,

I'll send it to you.

Then you throw that money

in that bastard's face.

Okay, take care.

That f***ing mouse!

"Our agency has no current need

for ship personnel."

Hello. I'm looking for

a job on a ship.

There're no jobs.

All right. Thanks anyway.

So, it's Canada?

Orhan got a very good offer.

We don't want to miss

this opportunity.

When are you leaving?

In two or three weeks.

By New Year, we'll be in a new country

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈnuːri ˈbilɟe ˈdʒejlan], born 26 January 1959) is a Turkish film director, photographer, screenwriter and actor. He won the Palme d'Or, the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2014. He is married to filmmaker, photographer, and actress Ebru Ceylan, with whom he co-starred in Climates (2006). more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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