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The works of Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan has often been labeled “slow cinema”, and thus have often been mentioned with the filmography of directors such as Lav Diaz or Bela Tarr. However, as we often see with the features of these filmmakers, the term is often confusing, derogatory even, as it attempts to focus solely on aspects like duration, but not the contextual reason why these stories need to be told in that particular pace. Perhaps one of the best examples for Ceylan’s brand of “slow cinema” (if you really want to use that word) is his first feature “Kasaba” from 1997 which takes its time dealing with the story of a family living in a small rural town, with their struggles and conflicts in many ways reflecting the view on Turkish society, most specifically its problematic view on the past and its link to the present.

“Kasaba” is...