User reviews

I can't remember if I've ever seen a Turkish film before, which is a pity, because if Three Monkeys is anything to go by, I have missed some terrific movies.

This is a dark, stylish, noir thriller which sees a man agreeing to take the rap for his political master who is involved in a car accident. In return for doing time for a crime he did not commit, his boss will continue to pay his salary to his family, and also settle the 'debt' with a lump sum payment when the man is eventually released. While he is in prison, his wife is left to hold the family together and she and her son quickly get caught up in a web of passion and betrayal.

Director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan carried off the Best Director Award at Cannes for this, his fifth feature, and it's not hard to see why.

Three Monkeys is is a dark, brooding film, where every shot has been thought through and framed with meticulous detail. Long, intense close ups of the principal characters produces sustained psychological tension as unspoken words seem to fly through the air like knives.

The principal cast of Three Monkeys; Yavuz Bingöl, Hatice Aslan, Ahmat Rifal Sungar, and Ercan Kesal, are universally good, but top credits should go to Hatice Aslan, the femme fatale of the piece, who has the ability to convey many layers of meaning by saying little and feeling much.

Highly recommended.

Three Monkeys proved to me that Turkish cinema can rub shoulders with the very best in contemporary cinema.

It has a certain maturity and mastery of the medium even if it follows the patterns of Tarkovsky, Terrence Mallick and Zvyagintsev, with its ability to externalize the internal feelings of individuals and catapult those feelings in context with the well-chosen exteriors—sometimes natural environments and sometimes man-made structures. It's a film that makes the capability of a director and art director stand out even to a village idiot viewing cinema.

The title of the film does refer to the proverbial three monkeys; one who refuses to hear, one who refuses to see, and one who refuses to speak. It is an interesting contemporary tale revolving around three adults that make up a Turkish urban nuclear family. The husband drives the car of a politician to make a living, the wife works in a kitchen of a large establishment, and their adult son is a student dreaming of owning a car. It is a tale that could take place in Turkey or any other part of the world suggesting that tales of individual angst fall within some external matrix that a viewer can either glimpse or reject as a cosmic play of dice.

The three "monkeys" are a husband, wife and son living a cohesive, stable life. A fourth character is a typical creepy politician whose actions disrupt the tranquil life of the cohesive trio by a chain of lies, deceit, lust and avarice—all brought about by the ripple effect of an external request. Here is a tale of three essentially good people who become entwined in actions that threaten to break up their happy but mundane middle-class lives.

What is the external request that leads to the domino effect on the family? The politician falls asleep while driving a sedan and knocks down an unknown person on a remote road and the incident is noticed by a passing car. To preserve his political chances at the soon-to-be-held elections, he requests his regular driver to take the rap and go to prison for the crime he did not commit, while the politician promises to continue paying his salary and provide a large sum at the completion of his jail term. The first "monkey" gets hooked to the suggested plan that he hears.

The son dreams of a family car that could be acquired with an advance on the politician's final payment to his father and goads his mother to meet the politician with the request. And you soon have two other "monkeys" trapped by their own innocent actions that spiral into grievous crimes because they choose not to see, hear or speak. Interestingly, each of the three is essentially a well-meaning, ethical individual. However, the external request of a politician to the head of the family of the trio opens up vistas for three good persons to choose a deviant path they might not have chosen otherwise.

The filmmakers go on to suggest that the pattern could spillover to upset another sedate life of a good man at the end. Those affected do not seem to learn from history. The cosmic tale carries on like a Shakespearean or Tolstoyan tragedy, even as dark clouds gather over the magical landscape on the coasts of the Marmara Sea (Black Sea) captured with the digital magic of Gokhan Tiryaki (the cinematographer of Ceylan's Climates as well). Are we individuals truly in control of what happens to us in life? This is the implicit question the film asks of the viewer. Do events in our life force us take paths we never would have taken otherwise? Do we learn from our mistakes or prefer to make bigger mistakes like a "monkey"? Ironically, the film itself is a product of another family—but this one is incredibly talented. The husband and wife team of Nuri Bilge Ceylan (director, editor, and writer of Three Monkeys, and actor of his earlier films Distant and Climates) and Ebru Ceylan (writer and art director of Three Monkeys, actor of Distant and Climates and an award-winning short-filmmaker) team up with Ercan Kesal (actor in Three Monkeys, playing the politician in the movie) to write up this interesting film.

The story is only a small part of the film's broad enjoyment spectrum. Take the art direction—-the building in which the trio live looks imposing at the start of the movie. Only towards the end of the movie as the lives of the individuals fall apart you see the building has an imposing front but is actually a poor tenement with a fabulous view. The railroad becomes a flight path to freedom from the drudgery of the house, but tenants of the house need to cross physical (symbolic) barriers to reach the station. Interestingly, the head (and face) of the son poking out of the train form the poster of the film a shot that is repeated with differing expressions as the film progresses.

In this film, the husband-wife team of the Ceylans stays behind the camera. They introduce a TV actor Hatice Aslan who plays Hacer, the mother/wife role in the film. The performance is nothing short of spectacular. The sudden action of kicking up of her shoes while sitting and breaking into smiles of freedom is unforgettable; the true implications of the scene revealed to the viewer only much later.

Turkish cinema has thrown up great filmmakers. Yilmaz Guney was my favorite Turkish filmmaker from that country. Now I have added Ceylan (and his talented wife) to that list. Guney took up subjects that mirrored politics and got into trouble for that. Ceylan appears to be apolitical except for his dark universal swipe at politicians as a tribe. Or is he?

Although ambitious and picture perfect, the feeling of exaggeration cannot be shaken from "Üç Maymun", a drama set in Turkey following the exploits and heartbreak of a nuclear family. Thwarted desires and desire-less characters are plenty; Nuri Bilge Ceylan helms the film that feels it has more style rather than substance. Could possibly be taken more as a meditative form of tragic cinema, it still cannot compare to the likes of Ki-duk Kim, also going for the same moody dialogue-less craving audience. In competition at Cannes 2008, creates more intrigue rather than a cinematic full circle.

Film follows a surname-less nuclear family as they come to grips with the paternal character, Eyüp (Yavoz Bingol), who goes to prison for 9 months with either altruistic or financial reasons in mind. He leaves his wife Hacer (Hatice Aslan), who clearly needs more than what her husband can deliver and son Ismail (Ritaf Sungar), an overgrown teenager who cannot find any sort of direction in life, eventually leading himself to lethargy and apathy. Characters are definitely flawed and are interesting, however delivery of the family on celluloid still seem to be somewhat lacking.

Technically, the film triumphs as it conveys more towards the plot than the characters. Cinematographer Gőkhan Tiryaki paints the image with a dull rusty palette perfectly mirroring the doom and depression the characters wear on their sleeves. Also, by the camera angles itself, film clearly wants its audience to be as disjointed to the characters as possible making them feel more voyeuristic rather than empathetic. Certain scenes filled with dramatic desperation are filmed behind the bushes, both making moments like that intensely private but nevertheless distant.

As with the stylish overcast weather this universe is subjected to, the film is intensely meditative as it strictly confines these characters to themselves through limitations of the spoken word. Almost half of the film is indulged in shots that are introspective and deeply personal. It works to an extent as it diverts the thinking to the audience, although picture doesn't really have much to allow the audience to chew on. Like the sky, filled with clouds desperate to rain, audiences will be left wanting to connect with these characters. It does rain, although it only pour before the end credits. A point of liminal, it doesn't make it clear though on what's there to be liminal about.

Picture's ace is Hacer. Played with much desperation by Hatice Aslan, she remains the only character with an overwhelming desire to be happy. Character takes the opportunity to explore happiness whilst her husband is away. But, the thing is, this source of pleasure is normally deemed as unorthodox even if it gives her a reason for being. Once this source of contentment is stripped off, clear anxiety strikes her as she borderlines the bathetic. Indeed a flawed character, she still becomes the reference point to the masculine characters who desire something more tangible.

"Üç maymun" is a cinematic experience that gets richer in retrospect. Definitely not a form of transient entertainment, it caters to a specific audience devotedly. However, feeling of an overstretched plot on a surrealist setting can be a hindrance to full appreciation. It also feels rather indulgent. Extended shots could have been excised, taking with it the impression of a pretentious, not a nirvana-driven, production.

The three monkeys in the title of this film refer to both the classic "See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil" maxim and to the compact family of three depicted in the film. These three characters are Eyup, his wife Hacer, and their son Ismail. Each of these people seem to live by the maxim of the monkeys so much that they hardly talk to each other at all. Events unfold with a tragic inevitability after Eyup agrees to confess to a crime committed by his boss Servet to shield him from political disgrace in exchange for a large payoff. The shattered family then attempts to go on about their lives as if nothing had ever happened, even when more things do happen. Problems that normally would be relatively routine when faced by a united family thus become a devastating cycle that threatens to destroy their lives.

The material here is good but it likely would have devolved into histrionic melodrama in the hands of a less restrained director. Ceylan is a minimalist and as such he tends to allow the actions of the character to speak for themselves. In a way the lack of exposition puts the viewer in a similar situation to that of the family; we don't know exactly what they are thinking either.

Ceylan's greatest strength is in visuals: his landscapes look unlike anyone else's. The colors are often desaturated; I generally think this visual technique is a mistake but it looks great in his films. Like all Ceylan films, Three Monkeys is worth seeing for the indescribable visuals alone, but this film in particular also offers a perfectly executed family tragedy. Ceylan really outdid himself this time, this is one of the best films of the decade.

Is this the first film from Cylan to mark a notable shift in direction, or is it just a one off? Personally speaking, I hope its just a one off. Ill explain why...

In some aspects this film isn't anything unexpected. Cylan's visuals have always been very important and this latest digital outing is a further progression in the direction his previous works were already going. This films visuals seem even more extremely colour corrected and lusher than all the previous colour films he made. Cylan's sound-scape specifically seems to have also progressed hugely from his last films. These are all details im OK with (although I think his colour correction is a bit too much sometimes).

A few more words on the sound; On the whole it was great and the soundtrack was incredibly loud on the screening we saw, which im sure was deliberate. My only gripes were Cylan's constant use of a shaking metal sound effect that he's taken directly out of Stalker (i hope the estate of Andrei Tarkovsky aren't reading this!) were a little too much for me knowing the penchant he already has for his love of Tarkovsky! Oh, and the sound effect of the repeated thunderstorm really was way too unsubtle and unoriginal.

3 Monkeys however has a very different plot to his other films. In short, this is no normal meditative slow paced Cylan film and not what viewers who know his existing work will expect. You could also say that this film HAS an active plot, while the others have much less of one.

In a nutshell this film follows a simple "dramatic" plot which is setup for the viewer within the first minute of the film and is more akin to something one would find in a psychological thriller film. I wont ruin anything, but the very fact that this film uses "sensationalist" (very much so in terms of what to expect from Cylan at least) plot devices such as murder and attempted suicide give an idea of what I mean.

It did seem to run a little long and here lies a conflict I found with the film. I found it struggling to find its place between a short sharp slick psychological thriller and a normal Cylan film. In other words, wresting with its length and timing. Maybe its just me, this viewer that was doing the wrestling... Still, it seemed to be a bit too long and self indulgent for the kind of film such a plot arbitrarily assigns it. If it had been a more meditative Cylan film, sure no problem, the shots could have been twice as long and it would have fitted quite well within the inwards looking reflective nature of the narrative.

In conclusion, although I found the film very slick and well made, that ultimately it seemed lost between two forms/directions. Also, being very aware of Tarkovskys films and Cylans liking for them, i found the quite frequent specific references / takes from them to be quite annoying. A small point and irrelevant to anyone unfamiliar with his work.

I hope Mr Cylan's film don't continue to go in a basic plot driven direction such as this one or I believe it will be a great loss to world cinema.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan shows us how an awful screenplay turns to a good movie in a professional director's hand. I think he deserved all those award because of that reason.

Overall acting was good. Especially those two Yavuz Bingol and Ercan Kesal who are not actors in real (Bingl is a musician and Kesal is a doctor) were remarkable.

By the way, to put a dead child in a movie to support the physiological atmosphere and subject of the movie was a good idea. But still I did not like the form of the child as he was too scary to be a part the movie.

So, 0 for the screenplay, 6 for performers and 8 for the director.

Although it can be argued that its local touches can be appreciated more fully by Turkish audiences, "3 Monkeys" is a film that can definitely appeal to all film-lovers all over the world. It is a human drama, centered around the family of a fall-guy for a small-time politician. It is also a story of betrayal, longings and revenge. No shot is "left there" just for the effect. Even while you are watching someone walk under a train crossing, you find yourself thinking about what she might be feeling, thinking, not because you force yourself to, but because the film successfully makes you. Visuals are great, as always is with Ceylan, but this time they are superior, and the film, with both its screenplay and visuals has a black-and-white feeling, although it is not a black-and-white picture. At the end, you find yourself wondering who the "three wise monkeys" really are. Is it the family of 3, whose members have different agendas and do not want to see or hear or tell, or is it us, for knowing, but not wanting to know about all this human drama and social corruption? I hope "3 Monkeys" can gain international distribution besides film festivals and be given a chance to be appreciated by everyone.

Critically acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan ("Distant" & "Climates") cemented his previous success with this slow-burning neo-noir which won him the Best Director Award at the 61st Cannes Film Festival and was Turkey's unsuccessful submission for the 81st Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film Oscar amongst a slew of Yeşilçam Awards and international film accolades.

When family man Eyüp (Yavuz Bingöl) goes to prison for a hit-and-run committed by his wannabe politician boss Servet (Ercan Kesal), his wife Hacer (Hatice Aslan) and wayward son İsmail (Ahmet Rıfat Şungar) find their lives beginning to fall apart, and the process is only expedited by Eyüp's release some nine months later.

Popular Turkish folk singer Yavuz Bingöl presents a wonderfully hunched and dishevelled presence at the head of a family that features the haggard beauty of Hatice Aslan and the angst ridden brow of Ahmet Rıfat Şungar who both won Yeşilçam Awards as well as the occasional unwelcome interference of sweaty co-writer Ercan Kesal.

The Yeşilçam Award-winning cinematography of Gökhan Tiryaki ("Alone" & "Climates") transforms Istanbul into a suitably dark and brooding backdrop for the bare-bone story-line of Nuri Bilge Ceylan et al, but the dark beauty of the cinematography isn't quite enough to hold attention and the film begins to drag long before the leaden denouement.

"Do we have anyone else?"

Driving in the dark of night, in the middle of nowhere, a car takes a right turn and disappears. Descending. Not to death. Hell is one word for it. Another is role-playing. Another is the seer. The opposite of which, is the monkey. Three Monkeys is one of the greatest films of the year from a country that is not in its cinematic golden age, but which we ought to applaud for one of the greatest efforts of contemporary cinema. In a world wherein art has no place whatsoever, the world of the film, where death is as close as stupidity and narrow-mindedness, love forgotten and humanity reduced to means, this film attempts to rekindle a glimpse of hope for those who see it. But it is as fragile as the ghost of a child that haunts its inhabitants. A brilliant cast, almost flawless cinematography and a poetic direction reminiscent of the great works portraying Hell, this film welcomes a refreshing take on realism with surrealist brush-strokes that in my opinion could only benefit from one single element: a return of the gaze. Unfortunately, this film may be lost in the torrents of mainstream audiences. It is also to be respected then, for not making any effort, not pretending, and in my view, ultimately disregarding, any aspirations to popularity. This is fully in accord with the atmosphere of the film itself. And this, if anything, demands critical appraisal.

There is something about Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films that have always set itself apart from other films on the international stage: its ability to resonate with an audience. Although set in Turkey his films' story lines have the ability to connect with an audience from any region while also being able to utilize a major city's inner-turmoil via its transmitting landscapes, exhaustive loneliness and its sheer beauty. And "Three Monkeys" is no exception.

The story is the most complex and inter-connected of Ceylan's career and because of this he opts to use actors with previous experience for the first time (outside of his actress wife in "Climates"). A series of hidden secrets and unfolding lies keeps the family distant and increasingly torn apart from each other until a breaking point brings them back full circle. The "best-laid-plans" aspect of the film gives it a tinge of film-noir as it uses this device to present the family in its wondrous failures.

Having seen each of Ceylan's previous works my first expectation before seeing this film was breathtaking cinematography (and it did not disappoint in the least). Seeing Ceylan present the wondrous rain clouds that burst and crash above the dusty traffic-filled streets of Istanbul throughout this film as well as many of his others never gets old. "Three Monkeys" itself starts with a beautiful presentation of a car riding hidden paths that circle inside a forest's midnight darkness before it disappears from sight completely perhaps evoking questions as to why anyone would need to make their way through such landscapes at such an hour but at the risk of being cliché: "c'est la vie".

The use of established actors provided some consolation for the audience who could believe and connect with three characters who slowly went about their lives of self-destruction and self-deception until all secrets and lies were laid out on the table for the whole family to bear. The father who went through great hardship for his family finds only heartbreak following his efforts, the guilt-ridden son who is haunted by the memory of a younger brother whose tragic death he feels responsible for and must now deal with the knowledge of a mother who has found the love and affection of another man who is simply using her. The wide array of camera angles and mixture of shots of varying range and clarity enables Ceylan to convey the feelings and thoughts of his characters while still allowing the audience to follow the foreshadowing plot.

The usual Ceylan trademarks resonate within "Three Monkeys" both technically and spiritually while also showing his audience that with each time-out and with each film he can take his stories and characters into a completely new direction while taking his audience along for the ride. The slow, motionless shots give the audience a silence that swells with his characters' feelings and showcases a family's ability to communicate without words. This film has the ability to simultaneously show an audience a beautiful city and its inhabitants while also revealing real-life characters who let their emotions go to the extreme due to jealousy, rage and lust which can be found within anyone in the world.

Note: At Cannes, Ceylan picked up the Best Director prize and the film was subsequently chosen by Turkey to be its nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The first and the most important thing to say about "Uc Maymun" is already said at the 2008 Festival de Cannes; the directing is incredibly strong! The usage of every cinematographic material shows and once again proves that Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a great auteur of our time. I really don't agree with the critiques that have been made about how too technical and photographical the movie is. Simply because it's not. It's just irritating as life itself. It's reality what was filmed and so; very irritating as it should have been. It's the first movie of the auteur in which act professional actors; therefore it tastes and seems different somehow. Plus the way it's made was meant to be different than the former ones as far as I am concerned. Yet I don't think that the movie lacks the sincerity which always has been the most important reason for me to like the movies of N.B.C. Actually I think that it is more movie-like this time; thus experimental for the director, no need to say.

Nuri Ceylan showed us love, hatred, poverty, betrayal and revenge. He stripped serious issues by putting us in the middle them. We felt every simple thing with that family, breathing, sweating, snoring and even the summer breeze coming from the kitchen's window.

With good performances and an interesting and dramatic story, the movie tends to meander quite a lot in its plot and when it gets to its conclusion, it doesn't really feel like it has accomplished its objectives.

When I saw Distant (2002) by the same director, Nuri Ceylan, I was suitably impressed with his cinematic technique: sparse dialog, enclosed simple sets, very long takes, long static shots, little or no music sound track, minimal cast of characters – and essentially allows the story to unfold by simply observing what people do. The next film of Ceylan's I saw, Climates (2006), used similar techniques and followed a similar pattern; but I liked Distant more, at that time.

With this one, Nuri Ceyaln has proved that he is truly a master of visual story-telling. Moreover, this is a more compelling and a more intense story than the above two because it delves into the daily, banal evil that occurs – and is often covered up – in families in all cultures in real life, all of which is implicitly contained within the title. Curiously, as a boy long ago whenever I visited my paternal grandmother, I would almost always pick up the same ornament – a trio of monkeys in a row and in appropriate poses – with the words Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil inscribed in the base. At that time, I thought it was quite funny to look at...

This story illustrates those frailties when Servet (Ercan Kesal), a local businessman and wannabe politician, accidentally kills a pedestrian with his car at night and desperately pressures his chauffeur, Eyup (Yavuz Bingol) to take the rap for him – for a good price – which inevitably leads to the spiral of doubt, distrust and evil that eventually overshadows Eyup, his wife, Hacer (Hatice Aslan) and his son, Ismail (Ahmet Sungar). And throughout the story, the lack of dialog heightens the disconnect that grows between the father, mother and son, all of whom live at the top of a reasonably affluent blocks of apartments overlooking a railway which parallels a freeway, and with the open sea as a backdrop .

Those who know Ceylan's films know he likes long, static takes in either extremely long shot or medium to extreme close up; so, viewers won't be disappointed at all. Coupled with Ceylan's proclivity to have the actors face on to the camera more than any other director I've seen (and without breaking the fourth wall), viewers can savor and even wonder at the effect the actors have upon them as they watch – an effect so strong that I, at least, actually have the feeling of being there; and in this film particularly.

Complications continue, though, when Hacer thinks she is falling in love with Servet (who is married, of course) after he seduces her just once; thereafter, she won't let him go, much to his displeasure and despite his threats directed to her. And, after Eyup is released from prison nine months later, things really go down the toilet when he begins to suspect what we, as voyeurs, know already; and they reach rock bottom when Servet is found dead, murdered. Meanwhile, young Ismail attempts to make his way in the world while silently witnessing his parents' difficulties.

Overshadowing the family's problems is the poignant memory of the son who apparently drowned while still very young – a recollection that still affects all three.

One thing, of course, always leads to another. But here, not only is the resolution of the murder a surprise, but the aftermath is what really got me: a totally unexpected, but deliciously ironic narrative closure that makes diabolical sense in yet another oh-so-real-life story about the devil's playground viz. human relationships.

Do see this movie from one of the best directors in the world today. And take note of the quality of the actors and the stunning photography – particularly the long, final shot of Eyup atop his apartment as he looks out to sea – while you are entertained with a story as old as antiquity. I look forward to seeing Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. I hope you also feel the same.

Highly recommended – but definitely not for action/thriller fans and rev-heads.

March 8, 2012

There may not be much dialog in this, but that's offset by a desperation that is anything but silent. In addition, this film is almost always shot in the most grimy light; so as one reviewer already wrote you have the recipes for a "miserabilist's" delight.

Unlike that reviewer though, I was quite captivated by this. Some of it surely was the lure of a look into a foreign culture, granted a somewhat lurid look. Still the poverty they are trapped in comes with a fantastic view, and the constant flow of wind helped to keep a somewhat fresh feeling to the trapped dwelling for the main family. I supposed that wind is to remind us of forces we cannot see and we cannot control but yet are constantly at play.

I also think the casting was crucial here, via the dual nature of the faces. The son who wanting to project street tough, often looks like a sheepish 13-year old. The father whose macho exterior belies the fact that he's powerless. And the mother, who was a tremendous choice, the make-up and lighting help to accentuate that she is worn-out, but the glimmer of her beauty in decline and her desire for some joy to shine out of her tired eyes make her as stark a contrast as the lighting in the film. Her cell phone ring cries out for her, a long gone Turkish love pop song souring.

And I'm leaving off Ercan Kesal as the political functionary who connects all three as each member of the family makes a bad decision involving him. His weasel-y nature is communicated also without words.

I like that the filmmaker does not need to cement the unity of this family with specific on-screen action, even as their mistakes push the family towards fragmentation. Blood remains thicker than water in every nation, although an aquatic apparition is summoned. It connects them but does it also condemn them to fragmentation? A film about scary sacrifices in gorgeously ghastly light.

"Three Monkeys " is a special film. It is unique and authentic despite the fact that it is built on the common cultural heritage of humanity. In the simplest words this film is about being human. It successfully reflects the reality of it. Director chose a family in a ghetto of Istanbul to reflect this state of humanity , in my belief to be able to reach the global starting with the local.

In terms of film grammar and narration he placed all of his references from film history, expertly, in all scenes of the film. Today, in the age of confusion, Three Monkeys leaves the spectators in the middle of their own confusion about being "good" or "evil". Of course it is not that easy to decide for the "good" or "evil" , so is in this film. At last, we are all human beings , let's think what would we do if we were in their shoes?

"Üç Maymun" or as the English title says: "Three Monkeys" is an OK movie, that offers good direction, a handful of good performances and nice visuals, but almost zero originality and little in tension or plot development.

Servet kills a person and convinces his driver, Eyüp, to take the blame in exchange for money. But as Eyüp's son Ismail seems to be on a dangerous path, getting into fights and bad companies, Eyüp's wife Hacer decides to go and talk with Servet for an advancement of the money, a decision that will bring unexpected consequences.

The movie doesn't offer much in the plot department. It is a traditional story of a dysfunctional family and of power relations, and corruption. The pace is quite contemplative, but assured and clear, and the tinge the whole movie has brings with it the right kind of mood. The actors all do a good job, even if it leans to the stoic kind of, with silences and contained-violence. But the movie lacks the touch that would make it stand out, and it ends becoming just one more of its kind.

All in all, it is an interesting movie, but nothing out of the ordinary.