Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has finally made his masterpiece. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is about two killers, their victim, and an investigation of their inhuman crime. The film opens with three men drinking and chatting. One of the three turns out to be the victim; the other two are his killers. But we never see what leads to the murder—a robbery gone bad? An act of sheer evil? Rivalry for a woman? You have to watch the film. Its dark and unsettling images, its wicked wind and hellhound sounds, its complicated philosophizing about life and death will leave a permanent impression on your cinematic imagination. (CHARLES MUDEDE)