“About Dry Grasses” Review

Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s drama “About Dry Grasses” is set in 2023 and stars Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar, and Musab Ekici in Turkish. Throughout the novel, Samet, a teacher in a remote area of eastern Anatolia, is accused of wrongdoing by her students and harbors aspirations of relocating to Istanbul. Best Actress winner Dizdar received her Oscar at the movie’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival. Turkey entered the picture as its nominee for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film.
Relocating from Istanbul, Samet is confronted by two female students in a secluded village after their holiday for alleged inappropriate behavior. Sevim was one of them, his former pupil.

Simultaneously, Nuray, a teacher who was injured in a terrorist incident, is encountered by Samet and his colleague Kenan. Though he had his doubts at first, Samet finds himself captivated to Nuray as their interactions develop.
In addition to Ece Bağcı, Erdem Şenocak, and Yüksel Aksu in supporting parts, the cast consists of Deniz Celiloğlu as Samet, Merve Dizdar as Nuray, and Musab Ekici as Kenan. With further pictures filmed in Adıyaman, production started in March 2021 in Erzurum. Co-produced by NBC Film, Memento Production, and Komplizen Film, the movie was funded by Eurimages and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

It made its festival debut at Cannes and subsequently screened in Toronto and New York. It debuted in Turkey in September 2023 under the Bir Film banner. Critics welcome it well; Rotten Tomatoes, concerning 46 reviews, gave it an approval percentage of 91%, appreciating such dark comedy and manufacturing story. Marking 87th place out of 100 on Metacritic, it was designated as “universal acclaim.” As one of the films nominated for the Palme d’Or, it was demonstrated at the Cannes festival, winning Merve Dizdar the Best Actress Award.Accompanying its nominations at the Jerusalem and Chicago International Film Festivals, the movie took home the Silver Hugo for Best Supporting Performance, given to Ece Bağcı.

In January 2024, it also took home the Lumières Award for Best International Co-Production.
“About Dry Grasses” showcases Ceylan’s distinctive slow-paced, introspective storytelling style while examining themes of human connection, atonement, and solitude against the setting of rural Anatolia.

Cast of “About Dry Grasses”

1. Deniz Celiloglu as Samet
2. Merve Dizdar as Nuray
3. Musab Ekici as Kenan
4. Ece Bagci as Sevim
5. Erdem Senocak as Tolga
6. Yüksel Aksu as Veteriner Vahit
7. Münir Can Cindoruk as Feyyaz
8. Onur Berk Arslanoglu as Bekir
9. Yildirim Gücük as Milli Egitim Müdürü
10. Cengiz Bozkurt as Nail
11. Emrah Özdemir as Sergeant
12. Elif Ürse as Assistant Principal Saime
13. Elit Andaç Çam as Firdevs
14. Nalan Kuruçim as Kevser
15. Ferhat Akgün as Guidance Counselor Atakan
16. Eylem Canpolat as Halime
17. Seçkin Aydin as Soldier Erdi
18. Turan Selçuk Yerlikaya as Petty Officer
19. Abti Karatas as Ranger
20. Vahit Yildirim as Ranger with the Sleigh
21. Delila Kandemir as Delila
22. Birsen Sürme as Aylin
23. Polat Sever as Emirhan
24. Sami Erdem as Kiliçhan
25. Sefa Sürmeli as Sefa
26. Bilal Sürmeli as Bilal