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The
Small Town (Kasaba)
Doug Cummings, Film Journey (USA), Oct 4, 2004
Based on an autobiographical story
by his sister, Ceylan's first feature fashions the images and setting
of his short film into a study of Turkish provincial life. It's arranged
around the four seasons, and the beginning presents winter through the
interactions within a children's classroom. Ceylan's quiet observation
of the children's behaviors as they ostensibly recite their studies is
masterful. Cutting between the teacher gazing out the window at an increasing
snow storm and the various unexpected moments of distraction within the
classroom, Ceylan crafts a touching portrait of childhood.
Later, the film follows one of the schoolgirls and her younger brother
as they play in the woods during the spring and attend a family camping
trip in the summer. The latter scene is a vivid juxtaposition of characters
as they address the path of their lives and debate such issues as chance
and fate, faith and rationality. The young girl's cousin, Saffet (Mehmet
Emin Toprack, Ceylan's cousin, who will star in the filmmakers two successive
films before tragically dying in an automobile accident), is out-of-work
and aimless, dreaming of seeking his fortune in Istanbul. In one scene,
Saffet wanders around an amusement park, and the air-bound riders on a
whirling swing revolve above his head like the many possible personifications
of his uncertain future.
The film is again beautifully shot and evokes a rich autobiographical
feel that stems not only from the offscreen realities of Ceylan's cast
but also from its aesthetic intensity shifting between the faces of his
family and the natural details of their setting with equal, knowing clarity.
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