In the opening of this three-part drama that moves through the seasons, Isa (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) is on a summer vacation with Bahar (Ebru Ceylan). He's a middle-aged university professor still working on his thesis and so he is poking around ruins with his camera. She's younger and a television producer. When they are having dinner with some friends, the man of the house asks Isa what is bothering him. He complains about Bahar's moods. She is in a bad mood after having spent the afternoon wandering around alone. Later she has a dream in which Isa playfully buries her body in sand at the beach and then attempts to cover her head as well. She wakes up in a state of shock. On a cycle ride on the highway, Bahar puts her hands over his eyes, and they crash. Neither one of them is hurt, but shortly afterwards she leaves for Istanbul. They have agreed to separate for a while.
Back in the city, Isa chats with a fellow professor who claims that he ditched his fiancé when she started wagging her finger at him in a restaurant. In a bookstore, Isa bumps into Serap (Nazan Kesal) who is dating an old acquaintance of his. He follows her back to her apartment for some very rough sex, which seems to be something that they are used to. On another date, she tells him that Bahar is now working on a shoot in the snowy East. Isa decides to pay her a surprise visit. He purchases her a gift and takes along the photos from their summer trip. She looks at them and leaves both on the table. Isa, who is used to controlling others, claims that he is a new man and willing to do anything to please her. Bahar asks the only really important question on her mind, and he lies.
Winner of the prestigious Fipresci Award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Climates is the follow-up to Turkish writer and director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Distant. In both films, he explores the different shades of urban loneliness. Here he focuses on a romantic relationship that has run out of steam. Bahar is bored and partly that's due to the age gap between the two lovers. But a bigger problem is Isa's selfishness and power plays, which are revealed in his sexual relationship with Serap and his indifference during the brief visit with his elderly parents.
The use of the seasons to organize the storyline gives an appealing rhythm to the drama. The closing sequence in winter when it snows is especially effective in conveying the isolation of the characters.
Special features on the DVD include: stunning new anamorphic transfer, created from hi-def elements; The Making of Climates; Climates at Cannes; interview: Director/actor Nuri Bilge Ceylan and actor Ebru Ceylan; U.S. theatrical trailer; optional English subtitles
Screened at the 44th New York Film Festival, Sept. 2006
