Crossing

I saw this movie early this year on a preview. It just blew me now that I didn't do review on it. I hope is not to late. This movie is by far the best movie I've seen upon til now. So well played. So beautifully captured by the director. While the movie goes on you just want to know more and what is going to happend. Levan Akin- the director did also the beautiful fantastic move "And then we danced" equally as good as this one. He is really a fantastic director. Vibrant and tells the story so well and almost not using "real" actors, and yet they are so fantastic. I really recommend this movie.

I was not sure I wanted to see this film at first as the opening shots seemed dreary. How mistaken I was. A story with heart develops that grips you as it goes along. The main character, a retired teacher in search of her niece (trans) is not an easy one and has issues herself although these are never explained but just hinted on as in real life. Her counterpart an aimless youth in search of a job (and a life) follows her much to her annoyance from Georgia to Istanbul, Turkey where her niece seems to have gone This search or the journey that Lia (the retired teacher) undertakes helps her understand more about herself, about letting go of prejudices or people's expectations of oneself and of reaching out to others.

As is poignantly observed 'Istanbul seems to be the place where one comes to disappear' . The disappearance of a self to discover a new self The film is shot in a matter of fact way with little camera tricks or beautiful angles despite the cities involved. Although the background looks dreary most of the time the life that is breathed therein makes it a vibrant one The closing shot of Lia on a ship in the middle of the sea, with the camera circling about her is a most telling one. Recommended.

Levan Akin is a brilliant filmmaker and this film is flawless. Istanbul is beautiful and inviting yet can feel terribly lonely at the same time for a foreigner and this essence is so well captured in the background of this road movie. Every role is perfectly cast and the acting is superb. Multiple themes are addressed: Longing for family, regret, and the humanity in the diversity of all people.

The three main actors (in fact all the actors) gave nuanced performances that were so believable. There is very little sex and violence here. Great writing can imply it without graphically showing it. These types of interior films shot on location are not easy to produce but after seeing this, I need to see every film made by Akin.

This is the best movie I have seen lately. It is perfect in every way. For me, the acting and the story-building is great. The story is simple, yet it is a complex movie with many layers. On the foreground, there are lots of events and characters. On the background, the charming Istanbul, yet expressed very subtly. Most of the story takes place in the backstreets of the Beyoglu district, where hard lives are intertwined with human warmth and friendships. Underneath it all, is a layer with all kinds of emotions that grip you from the beginning of the movie until the end. And all those emotions stay with you long after the movie. Please go and see it!

This is a fantastic movie: the story, the actors, the places, everything is there in the right dosage, and the whole time, I felt like I was part of it. For anyone who felt lost or did not belong, for whomever had been always looking for someone dear, family or friends, this movie has it all. A special mention to the main characters; they were so well-played that I could swear they were real, even the children.

A special mention for not engaging in violence and sexual abuse. The story was so well written that the power of suggestion was more than enough to let the viewer have his own impression.