- Turkey
THREE MONKEYS
Synopsis
A politician campaigning for office runs over a man at night and flees the scene. To avoid jeopardising his election chances, he pays his driver Eyüp to take the blame. While Eyüp sits in prison, the bargain costs his family dearly: his son İsmail loses his footing, and his wife Hacer begins an affair with the politician. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Three Monkeys” (Turkey 2008) tells of a family that comes to terms with a lie, and of how this stance distorts their perception – until no one can say any longer what they have seen.
The title inverts the proverb of the three monkeys: seeing nothing, hearing nothing, saying nothing is not a virtue here, but a description of self-deception in the face of injustice. At Cannes in 2008, Ceylan won the award for best director for the film. “Three Monkeys” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2008.
Festival
Shown at the 2008 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.
