Clouds of May
A filmmaker returns to his rural family home, where the fragile boundary between making a movie and living a life quietly unsettles everyone around him.
Overview
A poignant exploration of family ties and personal ambition unfolds amidst the backdrop of rural life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- contemplative
- witty
- wistful
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Ceylan's subtle, humane observation and emotionally satisfying culmination, while some found the opening diffuse and overextended.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Muzaffer returns to his parents' home intending to shoot a film and considers casting his relatives.
The film observes family tensions, rural work, illness, and filmmaking through understated anecdotal detail.
Emin's struggle with the forest administration and the family's domestic life connect private concerns to rural society.
Muzaffer's planned film depends on transforming his relatives and their circumstances into cinematic material.
Films like Clouds of May, and why
Distant
rural family drama, understated humor, observational pacing, and filmmaking as a self-reflexive subject
The Wind Will Carry Us
contemplative rural realism, gently comic human observation, and minimalist family-centered storytelling
Day for Night
self-reflexive filmmaking narrative, quiet interpersonal tension, and patient art-house realism
Movie Details
- Director
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Release Date
- 1999-12-10
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (80)
Cast
- Mehmet Emin Ceylan
- Muzaffer Özdemir
- Fatma Ceylan
- Mehmet Emin Toprak
- Muhammed Zımbaoğlu
- Hatice Bodur
- Sadık İncesu
- Saime Toprak
- Yakup Çakıl
- Mehmet Kaya
Common questions
- What is Clouds of May about?
- A filmmaker returns to his rural family home, where the fragile boundary between making a movie and living a life quietly unsettles everyone around him.
- What is Clouds of May like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Clouds of May as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Clouds of May violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Clouds of May.
- What did critics think of Clouds of May?
- Critics broadly praised Ceylan's subtle, humane observation and emotionally satisfying culmination, while some found the opening diffuse and overextended.
- Which films are like Clouds of May?
- Films with a similar feel include Distant, The Wind Will Carry Us, and Day for Night.
- How long is Clouds of May?
- Clouds of May runs 130 minutes.
