It is remarkable that within a period shorter than a human lifetime, our modern world can erect tower-like structures, only to turn them into ruins soon. Homo sapiens of the 20th and 21st centuries are perhaps the fastest producers of waste in the history of the planet, and this is most evident in tourist zones—areas designed for instant entertainment, offering transient pleasures to transient visitors. Such is the case with the mega resort Naturland Eco Park near the Turkish seaside city of #Antalya, which failed to survive even a quarter of a century. Inaugurated in 1991 to occupy 200 acres of land and manufactured at the cost of 85 million dollars, it shut down in 2014 due to accumulated debt and bankruptcy, and since then remains deserted, becoming home to naturally evolving ecosystems, supposedly free from the control of the capital. Yet, curiously, the flow of tourists never really ceased; it just changed target groups. Once, the visitors were happy families paying fortunes to experience an eccentric and even more kitschy Balkan version of Disneyland; now, they are rather urban adventurers eager to explore the remnants and enthusiastically share later their ghostly tours on blogs and Tripadvisor.
Free-range tourism or luxury residency?
The factual backdrop sets the stage for Ceylan Özgün Özçelik’s cinematic exploration in Strange Abandoned Deranged, a film that is more of a visual performance built around documentary material, resembling a 70-minute «guided tour» of the complex. Throughout the duration, the viewer is guided through designed forests and peculiar animal statues by two dance performers, playful and at times disorienting camera movements, vivid kaleidoscopic images, and a variety of voiceovers from the site’s temporary inhabitants: excited voices of animators who entertained guests, visitors sharing their experiences, and advertising agents or news reporters promoting the marvels of the man-made jungle as «nothing like any place you know”. Yet, the film also gives voice to the victims—mainly staff members who went unpaid in the final months, revealing details about high-ranking politicians who enjoyed walking the grounds without bodyguards.
Though described in the synopsis for the 28th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere, as «symptomatic of Türkiye’s modern history,» the narrative holds universal relevance. It reflects the boom of widespread, unsustainable construction and business models that often function as money-laundering fronts or cover-ups for corrupt dealings involving financial elites or political figures. Although names are mentioned, the film does not exhibit investigative rigour; instead, it stays at the level of a principled observation. That being said, Özçelik’s work carries a global whistleblowing effect and can potentially resonate with similar cases at sites around the world.
Once, the visitors were happy families paying fortunes to experience an eccentric and even more kitschy Balkan version of Disneyland
Exploitation of the «ecology concern»
A tragically ironic paradox is that a project once grandly promoted as «Türkiye’s first ecological resort» has become a vast dump where the natural landscape has been severely damaged, with little hope for restoration anytime soon. Adding to the irony, people were displaced to liberate space for the emergence of the resort, which quickly after transformed into a monument to human greed and modern futility. This speaks volumes about the hypocrisy often embedded in popular ecological discourse, which frequently masks interests far removed from genuine environmental care. To amplify the critical tone, the film’s behind-the-scenes narration is laced with clichéd phrases commonly used by compromised eco-activists—phrases emptied of meaning in the face of their contradictory actions.
Liquid sites, liquid cinema
All the impressions and elaborations above are not solely the result of watching the film. Its greatest strength, perhaps, is that it sparks curiosity, prompting viewers to seek more real facts beyond what is shown on screen. However, this might also be its biggest weakness. In its pursuit to recreate the surreal atmosphere of the site in the most artistic way while largely setting aside mundane specifics, Strange Abandoned Deranged takes on a loosely structured, repetitive form. This approach edges it closer to video art, which often struggles to stand on its own without additional textual context. While the film stimulates the senses, it quickly fades from memory after it ends. The fluid structure mirrors the transience of the site itself, transforming into an instant spectacle that reflects a similarly fleeting experience. As a result, even its seventy-minute runtime can feel overly long at certain points.
Strange Abandoned Deranged is a 2024 Ji.hlava IDFF World Premiere in its Opus Bonum section.
