Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a 2011 internationally co-produced drama film, co-written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan based on the true experience of one of the film's writers, telling the story of a group of men who search for a dead body on the Anatolian steppe. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on , premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival where it was a co-winner of the Grand Prix. Plot A group of men drive around at night in the rural area of Keskin looking for the buried body of murder victim Yasar Toprak. The perpetrator Kenan recalls burying him near a water fountain with his mentally challenged brother, but the fact that he was drunk during it, the lack of sunlight, and the repetitive landscapes make it difficult for him to find. As the night goes on, prosecutor Nurset tells doctor Cemal about a case he was involved in where a woman correctly informed her husband of her date of death months in advance shortly after giving birth to their child. He explains that she died of a heart attack, but Cemal points out that she could have brought it on intentionally with medication. Commissioner Naci stops Cemal from giving Kenan a cigarette, claiming he has to earn it. The group stops at a nearby village, where the mayor asks Nurset to get Keskin to help fund a morgue, as his town is mostly populated by the elderly and their children want to see their bodies. The wind causes a power outage and the mayor's daughter brings the group tea, where the beauty of her face by lamplight causes Kenan to shed tears. He explains to Naci that he revealed that Yasar's son Adem was actually his, which caused a fight in which Yasar was killed. Naci gives him a cigarette. As the sun rises, Kenan finds the body and the authorities realize it has been tied. They untie it, but then realize it was bound so it could fit in the trunk of Kenan's car. Having forgotten a body bag, they force it into the trunk of their car. As they return to Keskin, Adem and his mother Gülnaz watch Kenan emerge from the car. Adem hits Kenan in the head with a small stone, causing him to weep.