Rent Times and Winds (2008)

Atmospheric but directionless - Times and Winds review by JD

This is definitely NOT formulaic. The film is more about atmosphere, mood, shifting seasons and diurnal rhythms. It is centred on the children of a poor rural Turkish village. The parenting is pretty brutal. There is no real plot or direction but there is a sort of movement and although the children are not much in the way of actors they are interesting and despite the poverty it is easy to see their view point.

Deserves to be a classic! - Times and Winds review by TE

One of the great films about childhood and the often painful interactions between children and the adult world around them.

The director, Reha Erdem, captures a vivid sense of place in the small, rural Turkish community. This is partly achieved via careful observation and partly by some magnificent cinematography.

The main theme is flawed masculinity. Erdem shows how patriarchy distorts the relationship between father and son, whilst all the time the huge phallic presence of the minaret dominates every aspect of life in the village.

The initial pace of the film is deceptive and as each stage of the day (the prayer calls in reverse) unfolds, we see more and more of the intense emotional lives of the children.

This is a film that deserves to be much better known.