Salih works as a night watchman at a town cemetery. Every afternoon he comes to the guard shack and goes back before sunrise. Despite his advanced age, he walks the same 2 kilometers every day. Because of his job, he turned in on himself and has been detached from the real life. The things he experiences on the road, strange men coming to his hut at night and the young girl in Salih’s endless dreams lead him into deep paranoia. Reality and illusion is indistinguishable... Until the first lights of the day...
Acting
Turan Özdemir carries every frame with weary conviction.
Cinematography
Those predawn blues hit different. Cemetery as purgatory.
Director
Durmuş Akbulut
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Turkish 'bekçi' culture—night watchmen in rural towns—has nearly vanished, making Salih a ghost of disappearing tradition.
Director Akbulut reportedly shot during actual blue hours, forcing the crew into Salih's nocturnal rhythm. Method filmmaking that paid off.
TR
