Clouds in May

Rather like Through the Olive Trees in the (very funny) way its somewhat self-centred, even exploitative film-maker protagonist (Özdemir) shoots a night-time picnic scene with his parents, which - if we're lucky - we have already seen in Ceylan's The Small Town. This echoes Kiarostami not only in its subtle self-reflexivity, but in the concern with how art preys upon life, how city types deal with country people, and in the care taken in capturing exact details of time and place. The 'story' concerns the relationship between the film-maker, his family, and old friends (including the late Toprak, who like the lead turns up again in Uzak, which can in some ways be regarded as a sequel to this film). But the lovely substance is in the wit, the nuances, the rhythms, and Ceylan's own very fine colour camerawork.