Edge of Heaven [DVD] [2008] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Some movie experiences allow you take from them whatever you want. The Edge of Heaven is a film that allows you do to just that, a film that deals with either fate or coincidence, depending on how you want to look at it.The film, written and directed by Fatih Akin, deals with the separate yet intertwined lives of a group of individuals as they fall in and out of each other's influence. Picking up with a rather straight forward assignation between ageing Turkish widower Ali (Tuncel Kurtiz) and Yeter (Nursel Kose), a Turkish prostitute, this unremarkable arrangement will have enormous ramifications for three different families. Both Ali and Yeter are displaced from their homeland and now find themselves living in Germany, and it is this sense of dislocation that initially drives Ali into Yeters arms. However, when Ali begins to fall for this woman much younger than him and suggests that she move in with him, things take an unexpected and tragic turn, an event that leads Ali's son Nejat (Baki Davrak) back to his homeland in search of someone he does not even know.Alongside this story is the parallel but apparently separate story of Ayten (Nurgul Yesilcay), a young Turkish woman who flees her home country following a run in with the authorities (she is a political activist, although later in the film much of her politics is revealed to be simple posturing). Finding herself in Germany, she meets a young German student named Lotte (Yelda Reynaud), and the two women strike up a very physical relationship. When circumstance conspires to have Ayten returned to Turkey, Lotte is determined to help, something that will also have tragic consequences for these two.The main crux of the film is how these two apparently separate stories intertwine across two continents, apparently at random. Told slowly over a long period of time, the characters within the movie meet and separate, often without realising the importance of their meetings. This can be seen as fate if you want to take it that way, or it can be mere coincidence, which is how this reviewer prefers to think of it. On top of this main topic, the film also deals with the nature of love, grief, honesty, betrayal and persecution, but ultimately this is all about forgiveness, both the old for the young and the young for the old, a particularly satisfying denouement.Director Akin handles the film with a lovely sense of control, allowing the film to move along at a pace that appears to be slow but is always engrossing, handling the multi- stranded plot line with a fine touch, and although some of the coincidences within the film (particularly the blink and you will miss them moments) sometimes seem a little contrived, this is a minor niggle. On top of this, the acting on show is top notch, particularly the older actors, Tuncel Kurtiz as the fantastically portrayed Ali, and a riveting turn from Hanna Schygulla in the initially minor role of Lotte's mother Suzanne, who's quest for understanding forms the real heart of the film, and also gives us many of the films finest moments.This is not a film for everyone, requiring a commitment from the viewer that some people will find it impossible to give. Slow moving and thoughtful, dealing with important matters in an intelligent and absorbing way, this is a wonderfully rewarding experience that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Set in contemporary Germany and Turkey this is a fascinating, complex and poignant film involving six principal characters (two mothers, two daughters, a father and a son), some of whom meet and others who are separated by distance, time and circumstances. The narrative is non-linear and despite some blatantly contrived coincidences where the stories of the protagonists conveniently overlap the overall result is an intelligent, empathetic and contemplative exploration of identity. Each character is believable and flawed, making decisions and mistakes, living with regret and hope, making and missing connections and experiencing and surviving tragic unexpected events. As you would expect, the pace of the narrative is slow and compelling with the acting suitably understated and quietly powerful, while the cinematography effectively conveys a sense of place whether it is the urban bustle of Bremen and Istanbul or the rural idyll of Trabzon. This is an impressive film with an even more impressive ending.

Fatih Akim is a very political director, and most Turks loathe him. In "The Edge of Heaven" ("Auf der anderen Seite") the central character who holds together the various stories is Aytan, also called Gul, a young activist (Kurdish, though this is not stated) who is involved in a small left-wing human rights group. Forced to flee the country, she becomes an illegal immigrant into Germany (this is a Turkish-German co-production), where she falls in love with a young German woman, Lotte. When, a year later, she is discovered, she is deported and imprisoned.The parallel stories are the relationship between Lotte and her mother (the inspirational Hanna Schygulla); Lotte pushes her beyond her limits of toleration, and when she follows her lover to Turkey, she is disowned. She is killed accidentally in Turkey, which brings the Mother in her footsteps, to reconcile herself with Aytan.The other story is also of a parent and child. Ali Akzu is a pensioner living in Germany who uses a Turkish prostitute, Yeter, and falls in love with her. Yeter is being threatened by Islamic fundamentalists, so agrees to move in with Ali. When she still tries to assert her independence as Ali still tries to treat her as if he owned her, he accidentally kills her in an argument. In a reverse of the other story, the son disowns the father. On release from prison, he is deported, so all the action shifts to Turkey.The parallel stories are interwoven with great skill, and converge on the point where young and old can be reconciled, even if it takes the deaths of loved ones to bring people to this point. The closing image of the film, which had me in tears, is of Ali's son Nejat sitting on the beach of a little fishing village by the Black Sea, patiently waiting for his father to return, in order to foregive him.There are however a few weaknesses which prevent this from being among Akim's best movies. There is one gaping hole in the plot, which depends on Lotte being told, for no very good reason, not to mention Aytan's real name. This prevents a recognition which would render one death and half the movie unnecessary. The other major weakness is the performance of Nurgül Yesilçay at Aytan, a superficial and hysterical portrayal. Akim has gone on the record to say that this is what he wanted, to convey the superficial quality of the character. The scene which shows this up most is her first meeting with Lotte's mother, where Schygulla's stillness and clarity show up Aytan's emotionalism for what it is.It is true that she is extremely self-centred and not very likeable. Her politics are largely a matter of posturing. The central action which triggers the crisis, her theft of a policeman's gun as he is being beaten up, seems more like a prank than anything else. And her girlfriend's death is triggered by Aytan's selfish using of her. The effect of this is to make Lotte's instant offer of accommodation and subsequent infatuation fundamentally unbelievable.In general it has to be said that the performances of the older actors knock spots off the younger ones, perhaps because the script gives them more opportunities than the underwritten parts of their juniors.Viewers not familiar with Turkish politics will not catch some of the references to recent history and Kurdish liberation, for Atim makes no concessions to an international audience.However, despite these reservations, there are sufficient "Wow!" moments here to make this wise and humane movie well worth its purchase price.

Yet another amazing film from Fatih Akin, one of the most interesting, talented film-makers working today. Its a moving, complex story of intersecting lives, violence, and politics in Germany and Turkey. Told with a complex, shifting time frame, there's almost a dark fable-like aspect to the constant missed connections between the characters that could provide salvation for all involved. And yet, within the darkness there is also hope. Perhaps nothing works out as it `should', but human hearts find a way to reach out none-the-less. A rich, wonderful, thoughtful and thought-provoking film.