Winter Sleep centers on an egotistic and merciless middle-aged man. Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia. His relationship with his much younger wife Niha is on the rocks and his antagonistic younger sister Necla is bitter over her recent divorce. When snow starts falling, the hotel becomes their shelter as well as the prison that fuels their animosity towards each other. Dialogue weighs heavily in this film, while the lingering, rhythmic camerawork plays a key part in exposing the main character’s condescending nature. Additional episodes further highlight Aydin as a patronizing figure, yet the main issue is that he does not seem to realize what his problem is. Despite the generous length of this film, which appeals to us in its exploration of the human state, it seizes one’s attention without dragging on as it reaches the finale. With previous experience as a cinematographer, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s amazing camerawork captures the breathtaking snow-covered landscapes of Anatolia in this winner of the 2014 Palme d’Or. (RHEE Soue-won)