Snow and the Bear

Snow and the Bear

Turkey | 2022 | 93 min. | Selcen Ergun

A young nurse arrives in a remote village in Anatolia, where winter never seems to end and bears roam the woods. When a notorious local man goes missing, she finds herself in the midst of a dark fairy tale about guilt, suspicion, and fear.

Asli, a young nurse, has been appointed to a remote village in northeastern Turkey. It's a place where winter has always been hard, but this year, it seems like it may never end. Heavy snowfall blocks the roads, cutting off the population, and rumors are circulating about bears waking up from hibernation, hungry but with nothing to eat, encroaching on the town. Asli, confident and self-assured, does her best to provide medical care to the small community, but for the most part they regard this outsider from the city with suspicion. One cold, dark night, Hasan—a villager known for his drunkenness and infidelity—fails to come home to his long-suffering family. Search parties are formed and speculation runs rampant. Is he with another woman? Did he pass out and freeze to death in the snow? Has he been eaten by a bear? Meanwhile, another local man, Samet, knows the truth behind Hasan's disappearance, but he's keeping it to himself. A staunch defender of the bears, he sees himself as Asli's protector as well—a role that she rejects. When Hasan's corpse is eventually discovered in the forest, the villagers must find an outlet for their anger, fear, and doubt. In her prize-winning feature film debut, writer-director Selcen Ergun has crafted an atmospheric fairy tale about human nature, its flaws, and the ways we impose them on each other and the natural world.

Justine Barda

  • Original Language Title: Kar ve Ayı
  • Director: Selcen Ergun
  • Principal Cast: Merve Dizdar, Saygın Soysal, Asiye Dinçsoy, Erkan Bektaş, Derya Pınar Ak
  • Country: Turkey, Germany, Serbia
  • Year: 2022
  • Running Time: 93 min.
  • Producer: Nefes Polat
  • Screenplay: Selcen Ergun, Yeşim Aslan
  • Cinematographers: Florent Herry
  • Editors: Çiçek Kahraman
  • Music: Erdem Helvacıoğlu
  • Website: Official Film Website
  • Filmography: Debut Feature Film
  • Language: Turkish
  • Has Subtitles: Yes
  • International Sales: ArtHood Entertainment Sales Agent Worldwide All Rights