In that Turkish writer-director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest film, Three Monkeys, released this week, and the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips’ review included a gratuitous comment that he “adored” Ceylan’s previous film, Climates, I knew that I had to go over to The Auteurs, where I had seen the film available, and expose myself to the object of another man’s adoration. Having done so, I can say this: there are few films in which the cinematography is as beautifully, thoughtfully, and creatively composed as has been achieved here by Ceylan and cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki. And unlike some films which seek beauty for its own sake, the imagery here strikes a perfect balance between merely soothing the audience into a receptive state and supporting the story being told. In this case, the director has chosen to play the central character, Isa a man whose broody charm hides a pervasive egocentrism.
While one could suggest multiple meanings for the film’s title, we first encounter Isa and his wife Bahar (wonderfully played by Ceylan’s wife, Ebru Ceylan) on a warm seaside holiday moments before their relationship rather dramatically derails. Months later Isa forgoes another sunny holiday on his own in lieu of a snowy trek to a remote town to reunite with Bahar with the hopes of winning her back. From climate A to climate B we simply spend time with Isa, whose existence as a character is fully realized. The film’s story and structure couldn’t be simpler, and yet as with any good character study, something unexpected happens without our knowing it: Isa, Bahar, and their fiends and family take hold, just for a moment, to the point that we begin assessing them, judging them, relating to them. In the end I can’t say that I adored Climates, but understand how the combination of its craft and its simplicity could stir such a reaction. There are several films I am excessively taken by which, I am sure, have caused much lesser reactions in others. Such is the wonder of the moving picture.
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
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