19/08/2024 - Gürcan Keltek follows a descent into madness against the backdrop of Istanbul's rich topography in his first foray into fiction filmmaking

Turkish writer-director Gürcan Keltek, known for his meditative and evocative filmmaking, makes his first foray into fiction with New Dawn Fades [+see also:
trailer
interview: Gürcan Keltek
film profile], screening in competition at Locarno. The film follows Akın (Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu), a man struggling to maintain his grip on reality as he endures a series of psychotic episodes. Set against the backdrop of Istanbul's historic and religious monuments, the narrative unfolds over 72 hours, depicting Akın's oscillation between fleeting moments of lucidity, and a gradual descent into delusion and hallucination. Keltek examines the delicate boundary between sanity and madness, employing a documentary-influenced, introspective narrative marked by long takes and a non-linear timeline.

Keltek’s earlier works, such as Meteors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gürcan Keltek
film profile] and Gulyabani, are distinguished by their contemplative pacing, evocative use of natural landscapes, and a tendency to blur the lines between the real and the surreal. These elements are evident in his feature-length fiction debut, where the blending of documentary observation with experimental filmmaking intensifies as Akın’s internal turmoil progresses from paranoia and anxiety to full-blown psychosis. The film also touches upon themes of displacement, identity and existential angst, seamlessly integrating them into Akın’s psychological journey.

As Akın roams Istanbul, he becomes increasingly entangled with the city's topography, drawn to sites of religious significance, such as the former church and now mosque Hagia Sophia. The film hints at occultism, though the precise cause of the protagonist’s psychological unravelling remains elusive. References to religion suggest an episode of divine madness, culminating in an apocalyptic vision as the film delves into the myths produced by the subconscious.

Cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger, a frequent collaborator of Werner Herzog’s, ensures that the camera’s fluid movements and intimate proximity to the protagonist create a sense of immersion. The film places a strong emphasis on urban architecture, capturing it with a hypnotic poeticism. New Dawn Fades evolves into a docu-fiction psychogeographic journey, navigating the peaks of religious ecstasy and the depths of despair with a slow-burning, yet entrancing, rhythm. The film adeptly captures the shifts between moments of clarity and confusion, conveying a profound sense of vulnerability as Akın's reality disintegrates into delusion, a place where faith, identity and sanity collide.

The surreal experience provided here edges into the mytho-poetic realm as Akın succumbs to his delusions, and while New Dawn Fades remains deliberately opaque in terms of conventional storytelling, it does offer a visceral and sensorial exploration that invites reflection on the nature of reality and the constructs of sanity.

New Dawn Fades is a Turkish-Italian-German-Norwegian-Dutch co-production staged by Vigo Film, and co-produced by Slingshot Films, 29P Films, The StoryBay and Fidalgo Productions. Heretic is handling the international sales.