Distant 2004

As Mehmet Emin Toprak’s Yusef ventures forth from his humble origins, he embarks on a perilous journey across the frozen expanse, traversing barren snowy landscapes and desolate roads to reach the bustling port city of Istanbul. Seeking refuge with his cousin Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir), Yusef’s arrival in this vibrant metropolis sparks a sense of hope, a stark contrast to the drab existence he left behind. Mahmut, a successful commercial photographer, finds his ordered life disrupted by the presence of his wayward cousin, exacerbated by concerns over his ex-wife Nazan (Zuhal Gencer Erkaya), who has remarried and is preparing to depart for Canada with her new husband.

As Mahmut departs on a photo shoot, he takes Yusef along as an assistant, injecting some much-needed financial stability into Yusef’s existence. However, their time together is short-lived, as Mahmut receives word of his mother’s illness and hastily returns home to tend to her, leaving Yusef alone in the house. Upon Mahmut’s return, he finds that his cousin has failed to maintain the household’s tidiness, leading to a heated argument between the two.

Meanwhile, Yusef roams the city streets, occasionally following an enigmatic woman (Ebru Ceylan) who has piqued his interest, though he is unable to muster the courage to approach her. Mahmut, meanwhile, becomes fixated on tracking down his ex-wife Nazan at the airport, bearing witness as she and her new husband bid farewell to Turkey.

As Yusef and Mahmut navigate their isolated worlds, they make decisions that precipitate subtle yet profound changes in their lives, altering the trajectory of their existence in ways both large and small.