Many of the films at the BAFF have used stylistic visuals to give a distinct look. What’s shown on screen to the audience; how the space is used, camera distances, etc. all makes an important impact on the telling of the story. Turkish film Three Monkeys (Üç maymun) uses what could be seen as innovative modern direction, including visuals, to enhance its story but as shown here, it doesn’t work all the time.

As Turkey’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film and winner at Cannes for Best Director (Nuri Bilge Ceylan), Three Monkeys centres on a family torn apart by secrets and lies. Eyüp (Yavuz Bingol) serves a jail sentence under a cover-up for his boss, politician Servet (Ercan Kesal). During this time his son Ismail (Rifat Sungar) is troubled, while his wife Hacer (Hatice Aslan) is unhappy with herself and her life. There isn’t much plot within the story, but what little is told is meant to be explosive – revelations that shake the family foundations. While the content is interesting, there isn’t actually enough there to hold the story together. The better scenes of the film are too far between, and in these we learn only small things about the central characters.

To put it bluntly, the direction is wrongly paced. The film is an example of shots being held for far too long, which don’t show pivotal, lingering moments the way they should. Although Three Monkeys is daring, particularly with well-used close-ups, the film moves much too slow which heightens the lack of plot. The addition of Ismail’s brother (Gürkan Aydin) as a ghost haunting them comes across as a touch creepy and lacks almost any relevance to what’s going on. What the cast is given to work with is less dialogue and a bigger focus on emotion and action. Hatice Aslan as Hacer is most relatable to us as a woman who wants to be loved, but the men are portrayed as violent and troubled and it’s hard to find sympathy for them. That’s partly because much of why they act as they do isn’t explained.

To Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s credit, her flair for visuals is heralded. The cinematography, by Gökhan Tiryaki, is pretty stunning for the most part, abstract shots and bleak skies constantly conveying the central unhappiness. It’s given an almost black-and-white feel, like a melodrama or a noir, similar to JCVD (also screening in the BAFF). What also stands out is the sound, with rain and thunder waking the audience (it did me) into the drab situation. Also of note is the ringtone of Hacer’s phone, which metaphorically sings about a woman wishing no love for a man who broke her heart. As a repeated motif, it intentionally sets Hacer’s story.

Verdict:

While there are many metaphorical undertones about life and love, Three Monkeys isn’t what you expect. Slow films only work if there’s enough to keep good interest – mild interest isn’t enough.

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Three Monkeys screens apart of the 2009 Bigpond Adelaide Film Festival.

Unfortunately, all screenings from the festival for this film have since passed.

For more reviews and features from the Bigpond Adelaide Film Festival, visit the page devoted to our coverage  here.

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