Sinan (Aydin Doğu Demirkol), an aspiring writer, returns home after university hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. He wanders the town encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers and finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, Sinan grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.

Following in the great tradition of family dramas like Death of a Salesman and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Wild Pear Tree weaves an evocative tale of creative struggle and familial responsibility with inspired performances, sumptuous imagery and surprising bursts of humor. It’s one of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s most personal works to date, a film as rich, layered and uncompromising as the novel its headstrong hero is working to publish.

“The Wild Pear Tree” is the follow-up film from Ceylan after his last, “Winter Sleep,” earned him the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2014 Cannes. That film would go on to be chosen by Turkey as their official Oscar selection, though it didn’t get nominated. This year, Turkey once again selected a film from Ceylan to represent the country as the Oscars, but we are still unsure if it’ll be nominated.

“The Wild Pear Tree” plays at the Film Forum on January 30, 2019.