Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "About Dry Grasses" -- My Honest Movie Review

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Disclaimer: All reasonable comments are welcome, including reasoned disagreements. You will be banned for foolish talk, harassment, and hate speech on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life. I believe in freedom of association and, by extension, freedom of dissociation from you.

[@Adrianogdaven]

I loved every Ceylan movie, especially Winter Sleep and About Dry Grasses, but I still believe that Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is its masterpiece.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you

[@AlKwiatkowski]

SO glad to see you shine a light on the qualities of this movie, the best movie of 2023 (and I can't find anything close enough to take second place). You called it a good short story, but I'd go further - the movie is literature where even other good films are cartoons by comparison. The movie manages to both have sweeping beautiful yet desolate vistas which Andrei Tarkovsky would envy, AND a bevy of long yet compellingly intelligent, nuanced, and insightful conversations that Eric Rohmer would envy. And on top of all that is one of the most mature and thoughtful approaches to the art of filmmaking I've ever seen. There's at least three parts to the movie (the cuts to the subjects of his photos, why it's wintry for so long and when it isn't, and especially when he "turns off the lights") which are so creatively audacious and yet there's no sense of "what a twist" - they're all perfectly placed to serve this character and his story. I cannot be happier to know this incredible film has captured Criterion's attention!

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you

[@ideari]

Great movie, I love all Ceylan's movies. Thank you for your great review. We really need to learn about more movies every day.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

you're welcome

[@AndyKing1963]

I’ve loved everything he’s done

[@boxer_puncher]

He's come a long way, Ceylan. If you saw his first movies you'll know what I mean. I think this movie is about: the rural side of Turkey vs. big city, active leftist vs.highbrow intellectual ranting from his ivory tower, how the rural side slowly kills you with boredom, terror, unemployment etc. Samet is a highbrow, the woman is the active leftist.

[@Przemas1000lol]

Great stuff!

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you

[@clumsydad7158]

I just watched Three Monkeys. I was very impressed; beautiful and creative setting, with a psychological narrative of class and sadness that is at once brisk and meditative. Also, FYI Nuri in the criterion closet: th-cam.com/video/6dIOWv_3CeM/w-d-xo.html

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thanks. I think he has the best picks of just about any Criterion Closet video I've seen.