'Once Upon a Time in Anatolia': A Meditative Turkish Crime Procedural Set in the Shadows of the Anatolian Countryside

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da) (2011) is a contemplative and immersive Turkish drama that follows a group of men navigating the desolate Anatolian countryside under the cover of night. Among them are Police Commissar Naci (Yılmaz Erdoğan), Prosecutor Nusret (Taner Birsel), Doctor Cemal (Muhammet Uzuner), and accused murderer Kenan (Fırat Tanış), who leads the group in search of the location where he claims to have buried his victim.

Kenan remembers the burial site as being situated near a water fountain, but his inebriation at the time, combined with the absence of daylight, makes the repetitive landscape difficult to discern. The evening evolves into lengthy, arduous journey filled with bureaucratic procedures, philosophical discussions and the all-too mundane realities of their task. As they travel from one potential burial site to another, the relationships between the men are revealed through their conversations—illuminating their individual personalities, backgrounds and perspectives. The storyline unfolds at a moderate pace, focusing on the details of the expedition and the atmosphere of the night, before culminating in a climactic sunrise that quietly exposes the deeper anxieties and unspoken truths weighing on each of the men.

Co-written and directed by Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, About Dry Grasses), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a unique foray into police procedural drama. At its core, Ceylan’s film can be seen as a profound meditation on the elusive nature of truth and the difficulties inherent in its discovery. Simultaneously serving as a compelling commentary on bureaucracy and the human condition within its structures, it’s the type of film that lingers in the mind, prompting viewers to consider the complexities of crime investigation, the burden of responsibility—and fundamental questions about human existence.

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