The Desert of the Real

A new documentary by Luuk Bouwman (Gerlach, De Propagandist) featuring six people who have experienced psychosis - a psychologist, a philosopher, a musician, a psychiatric care worker, and an artist. They share their experiences and pose fundamental questions about reality and consciousness. The film traces their lives before the crisis, through the psychosis itself, and the path back.

The visual approach is striking: living rooms and clinics are revealed as sets, and the staging reflects the feeling several subjects had of being inside a film. This aesthetic draws inspiration from science fiction and horror cinema. As the film progresses, perspective shifts - the subjects do not return to a 'healthy' world, but to an alienating and disorienting reality.

The Desert of the Real was a audience favourite at IDFA. The title references the science fiction classic The Matrix (1999).