search

Three Monkeys

A gripping experience of manipulation and retribution

Three Monkeys

At the Cannes Film Festival, Nuri Bilge Ceylan received the Best Director prize for his masterful combination of image and sound in Three Monkeys, which he also co-wrote. Unlike Ceylan's earlier films like Distant, which received multiple awards at Cannes, his latest has an intricate plot line, one of adultery, suspicion and revenge. Like the three symbolic monkeys, characters futilely attempt to avoid seeing, hearing and speaking the truth. With touches of a Turkish film noir, Celyan's Monkeys could draw a moderate arthouse audience, larger than for his previous works.

Ceylan makes exceptional use of sharp high definition video imagery. The cinematographer, Gökhan Tiryaki, recently collaborated with Ceylan on Climates. In a superbly filmed opening scene, automobile lights disappear into the dark distance and the sound of an accident is heard. A body lies in the street; the driver who hit him is in hiding when another car drives by and the license plate of the abandoned vehicle that hit the pedestrian is seen. The driver who caused the accident is Servet (Ercan Kesal), an ambitious politician. Not wanting to affect his career and the upcoming elections, Servet offers his driver Eyüp (Yavuz Bingol) a lump financial sum to claim responsibility for the accident, saying that the jail sentence will be six months, a year at the most. He adds that he will continue to pay the driver's salary to Eyüp's teenage son Ismail. Eyüp agrees to the proposition.

During Eyüp's incarceration, his wife Hacer (Hatice Aslan) begins an affair with Servet. Being paid his father's salary without having to work, Ismail (Rifat Sungar) remains bored, sleeping into the middle of the day. He's disinterested in finding a job and discovers the truth about his mother and Servet. Eyüp's return from prison forces a change from the new patterns of his family.

As in his other films, Ceylan gives significance to visual details. Hacer's bright red underwear is in sharp contrast to the somber colors elsewhere. Her husband remarks that she never used to wear things like that. Close-ups emphasize the escalating emotional tension of the characters. The director also makes effective use of his characters in relation to the surroundings that reflect their personal conflicts. Servet considers both Eyüp and his wife disposable and tries to break off his involvement with Hacer once her husband has returned from prison. Outdoors, Hacer desperately confronts Servet as storm clouds gather. The sounds of wind in the house and rain on the roof add an ominous tone as Eyüp becomes increasingly aware of the differences in his wife and son.

Ceylan orchestrates all the elements of his film into a gripping experience of manipulation and retribution, with an ironic final twist.

— E. Scheid, BoxOffice.com

Three Monkeys

Wed November 4, 2009, 7:00 & 9:15, Muenzinger Auditorium

Turkey, 2008, Turkish, Color, 109 min, Unrated, Widescreen, 2.35:1, 35mm

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Looking for a gift for a friend?
Buy a Frequent Patron Punch Card for $60 at any IFS show. With the punch card you can see ten films (a value of $90).

We Want Your Feedback

Cox & Kjølseth
: Filmmaker Alex Cox & Pablo Kjølseth discuss film topics from their own unique perspectives.

Z-briefs
: Pablo and Ana share Zoom-based briefs on what's currently playing at IFS

Search IFS schedules

Index of visiting artists

Mon Apr 1, 2024

Hot Shots! Part Deux

At Muenzinger Auditorium

Sat Apr 20, 2024

Super Mario Bros.

At Muenzinger Auditorium

more on 35mm...