Distant

Mahmut is a cosmopolitan photographer who hit a creative and personal wall. When an awkward cousin from his home town turns up on his doorstep seeking a place to crash while conducting a futile search for employment, Mahmut is both grateful for the companionship and resentful of the intrusion. As Geoff Andrew writes, “With its laconic, faintly elliptical narrative style, its subtle but striking compositions, and its superb performances, the film speaks volumes both about masculinity and about modern life in the Western(ised) world. Not that the film is all doom and gloom; a droll wit ensures that the none too upbeat take on friendship and fulfilment never feels forced or oppressive. Indeed, a delicious sight-gag involving Tarkovsky's Stalker typifies the blend of warm affection and wry scepticism that distinguishes the movie.”