'Three Monkeys', an alluring 2008 Turkish-French-Italian production by the esteemed director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, unfurls a tale of deceit and manipulation, set in a disintegrating family. The title of the film, which is 'Üç Maymun' in Turkish, signifies the age-old proverb of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. The narrative, as the name suggests, revolves around the question of whether turning a blind eye to reality - or 'playing the three monkeys' - can truly erase the truth.
The story, starring Yavuz Bingöl as Eyüp, Hatice Aslan as Hacer, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar as their son, Ismail, and Ercan Kesal as Servet, is a dark exploration of how little lies birth bigger ones, causing a family to crumble under the weight of their concealed truths. It portrays a family's desperate struggle to stay together by shrouding their reality.
The characters, including the family's history marred by the pain of losing a child at a young age, are beautifully portrayed. Yet, they remain distant and their actions leave the audience startled throughout the film. Ceylan masterfully employs a minimalist and highly visual approach to storytelling without explicitly stating the movie’s themes, providing viewers a raw cinematic experience.
The film’s presentation of the oppressor-oppressed relationship and its subtle commentary on social classes and fatalism have drawn political interpretations, which Ceylan neither refutes nor fully embraces. The cycle that plays out in the film, dominated by power and money, serves as a profound commentary on both cinema and society.
The film received numerous accolades and was nominated in eight categories at the Yeşilçam Awards, often referred to as Turkey's Oscars, winning six, including Best Film and Best Director. At the 41st Siyad Awards, it was nominated in nine categories and clinched four, including Best Director and Best Female Actor Performance.
'Three Monkeys' was accepted to the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, following Ceylan's previous works 'Distant' and 'Climates', making it his third film to achieve this feat. At the 61st Cannes Film Festival, the film not only competed for the Palme d'Or but also won Ceylan the Best Director Award. It was selected as Turkey's nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards, and managed to make it to the final shortlist of nine films.
'Three Monkeys', through its intriguing story and striking imagery, lays bare the tragic consequences of ignoring the truth. It brings to light the destructive potential of even the smallest lies and poses a significant question to its audience: Can ignoring reality truly change it?