You are reading a single comment by @tbc and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@tbc
Just got in from watching Once Upon A Time in Anatolia.
Opinion was very much divided in the group I went with. A mate fell asleep, but I've never known him to stay awake through any film I've watched with him. His sister did too, and was glad it was over. My girlfriend liked it but thought it could have been shorter. I thought it was absolutely perfect.
The action takes place over a single night and the next morning, so when the film's starting to drag a bit and you're wondering how long is left, you know the characters who've been up all night are going through exactly the same. The film captures that sort of strange fraternity that you experience with the people you stay up all night with, and the atmosphere is fantastic. The characters are instantly believable and really well acted, and you can instantly read between the lines and capture a lot of meaning that goes unspoken.
Every shot is beautiful as well. Almost all are from a fixed position catching action unfolding in front it, with a lot of nice rolling landscapes.
My girlfriend, who's big on philosophy and that caught a lot of references to theology, mortality, and a lot of symbolism that I didn't pick up on; I thought it was incredibly realistic and naturalistic, but that political points on justice, modernity and rural/urban divides came out as well.
If you've got a bit of patience, it's a wonderful piece of art, and highly highly recommended.