Turkish writer-director Gürcan Keltek ( , ) has so far focused on shorter films and documentaries. On Thursday, he brought the world premiere of his fiction feature debut ( ), a contemplation on sanity, to the competition program of the of the . The film’s cinematographer is ( ), known for his collaborations with the likes of Abel Ferrara, Ulrich Seidl, and especially Werner Herzog.
The movie’s cast includes Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, Ayla Algan, Erol Babaoğlu, Suzan Kardeş, Dilan Düzgüner, and Gürkan Gedikli. “ reflects on the idea of insanity being another social construct, portraying the main protagonist’s last days before a mental breakdown,” the press kit for the movie highlights. “It has been years since Akın has been in and out of the hospital.
He is relentless, angry, and shell-shocked from being stuck in the system. Since his discharge, he is well aware that his old life is long gone. He has become unable to leave his family house except for occasional visits to religious monuments in Istanbul.
During those visits, he falls into a state of ecstasy as he tries to take refuge in God. These divine structures trigger something in him. As he loses touch with his true self, his mind shifts into another reality.
” Check out a teaser for the film below. Before his arrival in Locarno, Keltek took time to speak to ’s Georg Szalai via Zoom about how the movie evolved from a documentary to a fiction film, the importance of Istanbul as a character, ho.