‘New Dawn Fades’ Explores Insanity as “a Social Construct,” With Istanbul as a Main Character

Turkish writer-director Gürcan Keltek (Meteors, Gulyabani) has thus far targeted on shorter movies and documentaries. On Thursday, he introduced the world premiere of his fiction function debut New Daybreak Fades (Yeni șafak solarken), a contemplation on sanity, to the competitors program of the 77th version of the Locarno Movie Competition.

The movie’s cinematographer is Peter Zeitlinger (Encounters on the Finish of the World), recognized for his collaborations with the likes of Abel Ferrara, Ulrich Seidl, and particularly Werner Herzog. The film’s solid consists of Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, Ayla Algan, Erol Babaoğlu, Suzan Kardeş, Dilan Düzgüner, and Gürkan Gedikli.

“New Daybreak Fades displays on the concept of madness being one other social assemble, portraying the primary protagonist’s final days earlier than a psychological breakdown,” the press package for the film highlights. “It has been years since Akın has been out and in of the hospital. He’s relentless, offended, and shell-shocked from being caught within the system. Since his discharge, he’s effectively conscious that his outdated life is lengthy gone. He has turn out to be unable to go away his household home besides for infrequent visits to non secular monuments in Istanbul. Throughout these visits, he falls right into a state of ecstasy as he tries to take refuge in God. These divine constructions set off one thing in him. As he loses contact together with his true self, his thoughts shifts into one other actuality.”

Try a teaser for the movie beneath.

Earlier than his arrival in Locarno, Keltek took time to talk to THR’s Georg Szalai by way of Zoom about how the film developed from a documentary to a fiction movie, the significance of Istanbul as a personality, how key the sound and music (from British creator Son of Philip) are to assist discover the protagonist’s way of thinking and his ideas on sanity and faith.

You’ve principally accomplished documentary work thus far. Why did you determine to alter issues up and take a fiction strategy to your new film?

After I was pitching this movie initially, it was about an actual character I used to be hanging out with him. As a documentary filmmaker, I needed to indicate the viewers how a [mental health] assault takes place over a few days and the way these assaults are available in waves. So this was my first plan. Then my fundamental character had a extremely tough interval. He couldn’t exit, he couldn’t meet with folks. He has these fears and visions in his head. So I couldn’t make it occur.

Then, I made a decision to make a fiction movie. However coming from documentary filmmaking, the methods of fiction filmmaking don’t come naturally to me. The entire thing modified financially, with the actors and every thing. So I simply needed to experiment with the concept of bringing a documentary thought to the desk and making a fiction movie out of it.

Due to that, we shot it like a documentary truly. We went right into a majority of the places, some very personal and particular locations, in Istanbul like a guerrilla. So we shot there, and we received actual reactions. Additionally, I let accidents occur that ended up within the movie, for instance, among the folks’s reactions, and actors’ reactions. So, I began it as a documentary, then jumped to a fiction movie, and I ended up with this. It took 4 years, and it turned out extra emotional than I used to be planning it to be.

What drew you to the topic of sanity?

To begin with, it’s a common topic. Each household has a number of members of the family affected by it, and it doesn’t matter what sort of social or ethnic background you’ll have. It’s common. I additionally needed to dig into some stuff in my nation. For instance, I used to be questioning sanity and the way we go about it, each socially and politically. I assumed I may use psychological well being or madness as a metaphor for some sort of political commentary. However I didn’t wish to make a instantly politically themed movie as a result of I used to make political documentaries, so I didn’t wish to go into direct political commentary. I simply needed to go away some stuff open so that individuals may speculate and talk about.

It’s additionally topic to query the place we’re going as a inhabitants usually. I’ve this downside in my household too. I’ve skilled since my childhood some members of my household coping with [mental health], so I needed to discover this topic. I imagine it’s essential how we see ourselves as a sane individual or an insane individual, and who decides that. And I additionally needed to discover how folks can get caught within the [mental health care] system in the event that they go right into a therapy course of. Typically, that makes issues worse.

So additionally, that topic was vital for me to to make connections between turning into an artist and conserving your sanity.

So that you needed to additionally discover the definitions of sanity and the way they rely on society or tradition?

How we determine if a specific individual is insane or not is dependent upon the tradition. I additionally thought turning into insane could also be the easiest way to cope with at the moment’s social local weather and emotional constructions, wherever we might reside. I additionally needed to make a commentary that we as an entire are dropping our sanity and the way we understand actuality. We by some means have misplaced consensus alongside the way in which. So the entire system has turn out to be insane. So I simply needed to create this world to replicate on these concepts.

Istanbul is a fundamental character in your movie. We see the protagonist strolling and biking by means of town, and its landscapes appear to replicate his way of thinking…

Sure, Istanbul is likely one of the characters within the movie. When the primary character sees the massive Byzantine or Muslim constructions in Istanbul, enormous divine constructions, it by some means triggers one thing in him. He needs to be a part of one thing holy however he isn’t. He’s principally refusing the truth that he’s simply an peculiar individual with psychological instabilities. He needs to think about himself as a extremely particular individual. In these sorts of conditions, artwork and madness are coming from the identical supply. And faith can be coming from the identical supply. Delusions of grandeur are coming from the identical place. He needs to see himself as vital. And when he goes to these locations, he feels vital and particular. Accepting the truth that the other is true could be very tough for him. That’s why movie depends on structure, the outside and different actual places in Istanbul. When folks have these psychotic assaults, typically they will’t keep in. They really feel some sort of cabin fever. So he’s all the time out, he’s all the time on the run. What he experiences is principally some sort of out of doors paranoia.

You’ve touched on this psycho-geographic strategy in previous movies, proper? A few of these scenes of the protagonist shifting by means of Istanbul in New Daybreak Fades really feel very lengthy, which I assume you probably did for a motive…

It’s a topic that I’m attempting to grasp and dig into. And I agree with you that among the scenes are longer than they need to be. His understanding of time is totally different from ours. So typically he spends a number of time in these locations, longer than a vacationer or native would as a result of he’s ready. He’s attempting to take refuge in God and he’s on the lookout for an indication to hold onto in order that he can create his personal narrative in his thoughts. The movie is principally the theater of his thoughts.

He’s imagining a cult. Istanbul’s historical past begins with the pagans after which goes on to Christians and Muslims. You may see all of those faces there. The archeological website we see within the final scene of the movie, they only found, and it’s a pagan place. It’s the muse of Istanbul. They are saying that when the primary pagan monks got here there, they turned blind as a result of it was so stunning. However it was a really fashionable tradition for that age, they even had a number of fashionable instruments and stuff like that.

However there’s a non secular side to the entire metropolis that you could see there, there are nonetheless traces of Christianity and paganism, and for the reason that Ottoman Empire all this Muslim custom. So there’s this psycho-geographical side of Istanbul. I’d say Istanbul is the primary character within the movie. It’s there with its magnificence and ugliness and chaos and combined social bag.

[Spoiler warning: the next two questions and answers include some details about the end of the film.]

Because you talked about the ultimate scene. There are 4 characters, together with the protagonist, and they’re reciting a textual content. Is that this one thing that you simply wrote or that got here from scripture or different sources?

I created it myself however with [input]. Within the Turkish credit for the movie, I point out this. I used some quotes from some writers I like. There may be the Turkish creator Murathan Mungan, a well-known poet, and I used a quote from his newest novel. Additionally, there’s a well-known quote from one other Turkish author known as Tezer Özlü. I reduce issues up and put them collectively to create a sense as a result of I would like the viewers to know that that is his thoughts speaking. He creates these things in his head. There may be additionally a quote from British nature author Robert Mcfarlanecfrom his stunning e-book Underland. So the ending is a combination of all of these items.

After I noticed the movie, I assumed: “What simply occurred?” And Iater discovered myself attempting to recite a few of these strains from the top of the film, which gave the impression of a mantra…

I’m glad to listen to that as a result of I used to be attempting to create this sense of “what was that!?” I needed to go someplace that continues to be unexplained and mysterious, perhaps even supernatural. I’m signaling some issues to the viewers, equivalent to that they communicate with their minds, not with their mouths. The concept got here whereas I used to be capturing. I had that picture in my head for a very long time, however I simply did it instinctively on set.

The sound within the movie can be usually eerie and haunting and consists of what feels like ghostly voices and different components. Are you able to inform me a bit in regards to the significance of sound for New Daybreak Fades?

I labored on the sound design for a 12 months. I put a number of issues in there, which I took from current recordings. However I additionally employed this nice artist from Italy, Attila Faravelli [for atmosphere design and sound effects editing], and he got here to Istanbul. He recorded the vast majority of the stuff with our sound engineer on set. So I used among the older recordings I discovered, however then we created the entire thing throughout the sound design course of. You may hear that sounds are there, however you can also’t say what it’s and what’s taking place. The entire thing was created artificially, however there are bits in there which might be actual, as a result of I needed to create one thing not acquainted to the viewers. I didn’t need them to grasp what was being whispered and if [characters] communicate with the lifeless or hear from the lifeless.

All that positively left me feeling unsettled from the very starting of the movie…

There’s a motive I began the movie at Hagia Sophia. It’s an outdated cathedral. It’s a logo of the Japanese Roman Empire and Christianity. So there’s a religious which means for Christians in that specific constructing. However then it was a mosque. And ultimately, it was this entire political factor for many years, for hundreds of years. So it additionally turned a logo for Muslim folks. It’s a holy place for everyone. And everyone agrees that every one spirits reside there.

So for me, it was handy to begin there with the primary character, and he’s listening to voices coming from the stones as a result of the stones have reminiscence. He begins to listen to that, and that is the second that triggers his assault. All of it begins there.

How did you determine what strategy to take to the problem of faith within the film? It looks like you current numerous faiths…

For me, the concept was by no means to get into one specific faith. It’s quite common for individuals who have psychological well being struggles to return nearer to God or faith. It doesn’t matter which background you come from – folks attempt to take refuge in God as a result of they really feel alone and so they really feel helpless. My character has a Bohemian, bourgeois background as a result of he’s an actor and does theater, so he’s an informed man, however he finally ends up on the lookout for God and faith. So I’m implying that faith may feed madness. However it was additionally vital for me to make connections between turning into an artist and conserving your sanity.

However my preliminary thought was to place him ready the place medication don’t work, therapy doesn’t work, and his household is basically irritating to him so he’s having conflicts with the household on a regular basis. So he begins to imagine that he’s nearer to God. I didn’t wish to present it in a Muslim approach or a Christian approach. As an alternative, I needed to combine numerous issues in. It’s a little bit of every thing, similar to in Istanbul.

The music from Son of Philip provides to the general temper of the movie. How did you meet him and determine to have him contribute his cinematic digital sounds to New Daybreak Fades?

I’m a giant fan. I used to be listening to a James Holden DJ set on BBC Radio 6. And I heard this music and thought: “Who the fuck is that this?” And I went to BBC web site and checked the tracklist, and discovered it was from Son of Philip. So I contacted him. He’s an digital music producer and label proprietor from Nottingham and he had by no means accomplished movie music earlier than. However he has this nice ear for movie music. I felt it. I simply gave him some instructions, and it turned out actually, actually stunning. I needed to additionally use digital components within the movie, as a result of the primary character has a narcotic expertise. The medication are usually not efficient for his head and his mind chemical compounds. So he hears one thing very human, but additionally very digital and mechanical. There’s a repetition side to madness. You’re going round in circles on a regular basis, no less than in an summary approach.

One of many nice issues about Son of Philip is that he’s not even conscious how proficient he’s. He simply did it. I simply gave him some instructions, after which he got here up with one thing stunning. Initially, I truly needed to make use of music from some nice digital artists, like Aphex Twin and Autechre and different folks I really like. After I advised Son of Philip, he advised me: “Okay, you talked about some heavy hitters right here. How can I match them?”

However he understood what I used to be attempting to do. Placing an digital rating in a movie could be very tough. However on this case, I imagine it labored as a result of his music has such depth and character and in addition one thing very human and heat. There may be this lengthy piece known as “Infinity,” which I exploit within the movie, that has this repetition and one thing like krautrock, and outdated samples. And it turned out nice.

After I contacted Son of Philip, I requested him about his music within the Holden set. I requested: “what’s it?” He mentioned it’s unreleased, it’s from my first album. Then I instantly needed to make use of it. He’s a genius. I really like him. I’m so glad that we labored collectively. I most popular to go on an digital music producer as an alternative of a movie composer as a result of there’s a movie composer within him.

Are you able to speak about your subsequent or future tasks but?

I’ve nearly completed modifying a movie known as Horde, which I shot throughout COVID. It began as some sort of documentary, however I feel it ended up a little bit of each, documentary and fiction. I received one other couple of months of labor to do with sound design and every thing. So I’m engaged on that.

What’s it about?

It’s about these two characters who’ve a funeral of their households, and so they refuse to go. It portrays that specific day. It’s about funerals, it’s about grieving, and it’s fairly totally different from New Daybreak Fades. For instance, the digital camera by no means strikes. There are lengthy static pictures.

I additionally wrote this script for what might be my second fiction movie, known as Destroyer, and I’m engaged on that too proper now. We’re looking for a technique to finance it.

What is going to Destroyer be like?

It’s a sort of movie noir in up to date Turkey, and it’s a bizarre spy movie. I all the time needed to make a movie noir. It’s a style I’ve actually, actually beloved since my childhood. I assumed it could possibly be attention-grabbing to do a movie noir in a society like this. We received nice examples of movie noir in Turkish cinema too. For instance, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s As soon as Upon a Time in Anatolia. It is a totally different sort of style movie I wish to experiment with.