About Dry Grasses (2022)
(Kuru Otlar Üstüne, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/France/Germany/Sweden 2022, 197 min., Turkish with English subtitles)
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with his first film in five years, after 2018’s The Wild Pear Tree. Facing a harsh winter against the mountains in northeastern Turkey, Samet (Deniz Celiloglu) returns from the holiday to the small-town teaching job he has held for the mandated four years before he can request a transfer to Istanbul. He has been rooming with fellow teacher Kenan (Musab Ekici) for two years, and not long after the term starts, both are accused of inappropriate behavior with their students. Defending themselves against these allegations strains their friendship, as does the enigmatic Nuray (Merve Dizdar), whom both find attractive. Ceylan’s latest explores how self-interest and jealousy can stunt adult relationships.