Overview
A family's fragile bonds are tested by betrayal and desperation in a world of moral ambiguity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- oppressive
- melancholic
- austere
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s potent, atmospheric examination of a family’s moral corruption, restrained depiction of violence, and Ceylan’s assured direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Eyüp, Hacer, and İsmail communicate through sparse dialogue while the hit-and-run arrangement and adultery generate mounting unspoken tension.
Eyüp accepts imprisonment for Servet, Hacer hides her relationship with Servet, and the household absorbs the consequences of these concealed choices.
The hit-and-run functions as the catalyst, while the film concentrates on guilt, betrayal, coercion, and familial collapse.
The modest flat, rainy roadside, Bosporus surroundings, and shadowed interiors mirror the family’s suffocating emotional condition.
Films like Three Monkeys, and why
A Separation
psychological family drama, moral compromise, and simmering domestic tension in a carefully controlled realist style
The Secret in Their Eyes
bleak social realism, concealed wrongdoing, and oppressive family dynamics shaped by economic pressure
The Hunt
slow-burn crime drama, guilt, betrayal, and austere visual storytelling centered on consequential silence
The Son's Room
European art-house drama exploring infidelity, guilt, and emotional alienation through restrained pacing and atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Release Date
- 2008-05-16
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (239)
Cast
- Yavuz Bingöl
- Hatice Aslan
- Ahmet Rıfat Şungar
- Ercan Kesal
- Cafer Köse
- Gürkan Aydin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- OVID
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Three Monkeys about?
- A Turkish family’s pact with a powerful politician turns a hit-and-run cover-up into an austere spiral of guilt, desire, and betrayal.
- What is Three Monkeys like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Three Monkeys as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Three Monkeys violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Three Monkeys as mild.
- What did critics think of Three Monkeys?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s potent, atmospheric examination of a family’s moral corruption, restrained depiction of violence, and Ceylan’s assured direction.
- Which films are like Three Monkeys?
- Films with a similar feel include A Separation, The Secret in Their Eyes, The Hunt, and The Son's Room.
- How long is Three Monkeys?
- Three Monkeys runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch Three Monkeys?
- In United States, Three Monkeys streams on OVID.
