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Clouds of May

Released Feb 18, 2000 2h 15m Drama List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A filmmaker returns to his hometown to capture his family's acting ability on a video camera.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Sensitive realistic portrait of the rural small town natives. Rated: A- Jan 14, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member it is not a movie.. it is something else. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best Turkish films. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I heard a lot about this movie, but never had a chance to get a copy of it. Finally, 14 years later I got the movie and I enjoyed watching it. Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a director who doesn't like to waste too much, and this movie is very similar to his previous movie, Kasaba. Minimalistic in style and very raw it brings you the glimpse of real Turkish life through a story about the movie director, Muzaffer. He is going back to his hometown to make a movie using a cast of local people. Characters in this story are well developed and everyone has its own goal and doesn't seem interested in other's problems or the directions they are taking in life. Muzaffer's mother complains about simple health problems, his father is in a legal fight against the government for his land, his cousin gets out of his job to help Muzaffer who promises him to find a job in Istanbul, and his little cousin Ali tries to carry an egg in his pocket for 40 days so that he'll get the watch of his dreams. In the meantime, they get to form the cast for Muzaffer's movie as well. I have to say that Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Clouds of May is a very subtle piece of filmmaking and it explores the character relationships meticulously and those characters always feel genuine and real. The film does a great job at giving them all an emotional centre, while exploring the various dynamics that exist, but from time to time takes deep breath and I sometimes I wondered if the director forgot to take another breath because pauses became too long towards the end. Perfect photography work, with the light and shadows giving enough dramatic feel, this film deserves attention of the serious film lovers. You could really enjoy the director's feeling for landscape expressed in exquisite imagery of great emotional power and impact. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Please read my other reviews of Ceylan's movies, I might write here the same comment... which does't necessarily mean something negative, just his style is very recognisable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member while Nuri Bilge Ceylan is usually at his best 'not talking', this earlier movie of his just talked a bit too much, being a sequel to THE SMALL TOWN and a pre-sequel to DISTANT, the director has always been great at depicting his own family members and other hometown people in all his semi-autographical movies, particularly interesting in this one is the director's tough, energetic father, Emin Ceylan, and the little cousin, Ali, together with the 'director' himself and his other cousin (as played by Muzaffer Ozdemir and Emin Toprak also in THE SMALL TOWN and DISTANT), they represent the different stages and moments of manhood, each with his own concerns, frustrations, adjustments and transitions (25/10/2008) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A very intriguing movie that forms part of the same tale that was utilized in Uzak. I thought that this was a very fascinating study of the common people desperately trying to live their lives and the young desperately trying to flee for their lives. Even the kid is seduced by a simple musical watch and personally, this film had a lot of intrinsic depth that I just found utterly unique in its treatment if not content. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Clouds of May

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A filmmaker returns to his hometown to capture his family's acting ability on a video camera.
Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Producer
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Screenwriter
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Turkish
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 18, 2000, Original
Runtime
2h 15m