Distant

Winner of the Grand Prix and two Best Actor Awards at the Cannes International Film Festival, Distant, set in a wintry, contemporary Istanbul, is a profoundly beautiful film about detachment and isolation

Mahmut, a relatively successful commercial photographer, has been struggling to come to terms with the growing gap betwen his artistic ideals and his professional obligations. His workload, coupled with the lingering loss he still feels for his ex-wife, leaves him clinging to the obsessive routines of his solitary life.

Without warning, Mahmut's distant relative Yusuf arrives in Istanbul determined to find a job. In need of a place to stay as he searches for work, Yusuf imposes himself on Mahmut, who resents the sudden intrusion, but nonetheless feels obliged to help his family. As the two men struggle to make a connection, communication is slowly reduced to the bare minimum; and their time together must come to an end.

Buoyed by comic moments, Distant is an unforgettabel and insightful meditation on the human condition and the bittersweet feeling of being alive.