EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP STORIES HARROW: Some blast houses to be handed back PAUL ERHAHON: Call for more parental responsibility T5 ready for long haul flights FEATURES Young negotiators to work with gangs Olympic dreams for judo centre MAYOR NEWS Boris talks with NY counterpart BIZARRE LONDON The longest scarf in the world? TRAVEL Archbishop backs Heathrow demo COMPETITIONS A sweet deal with Caramel and Hotel Chocolat VOTE Do you think Boris Johnson's public transport alcohol ban is a good move? Yes No Not sure GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Vicar sees red over 'hot' Gladiator 2 Palace player ratings v Bristol City 3 UPDATE: Bakery murder victim named 4 HARROW: Some blast houses to be handed back 5 Startling secrets of ostrich people 6 Shock and awe of Bodies - The Exhibition 7 Have your say: Should Albert show some loyalty to Bees? 8 T5 ready for long haul flights 9 Whitney wows crowd at Battersea charity gig 10 Warnock angered as Palace lose Today | 7 Days 1 HARROW: Blast area declared crime scene 2 BNP member: 'I'm here to stay' 3 Stab victim was car thief 4 Killer ladybirds in the capital 5 WALTHAMSTOW: "Gas mask" hoodies for children on sale 6 Emergency services accused of brutality on Chessington teen 7 Children must apply for travel photocards 8 Vicar sees red over 'hot' Gladiator 9 Transport booze ban to start in June 10 CCTV not cutting capital's crime, says police chief

Comment

Star rating: ****
Dir: Fatih Akin
With: Nurgul Yesilcay, Tuncel Kurtiz, Baki Davrak, Nursel Kose

Odd to describe as life-enhancing a film that focuses so closely on death, but Fatih Akin's drama is gloriously optimistic about the human capacity to heal. Like Head-On, his Golden Bear winner, The Edge of Heaven concerns itself with Germany's Turkish population, particularly those, like the writer-director himself, who belong to the second generation.

The tension between old and new is summed up in the relationship between retired widower Ali (Tuncel Kurtiz) and his professor son Nejat (Baki Davrak). Ali decides the best cure for his loneliness is to hire a prostitute, Yeter (Nursel Kose), to live with him. His son, initially suspicious, gets along well with Yeter. In part to make amends for an incident that occurs, but also to discover something more of himself, it is Nejat who sets out to find Yeter's daughter Ayten (Nurgul Yesilcay), a young radical last seen in Istanbul. One story feeds into another, so that by the end the film is juggling six characters across two countries.

That such a complex set-up works is due to Akin's refusal to sweat the big stuff. While others might labour over some of the more momentous events depicted, he deals briskly with them and moves on. To him, the important thing is not what happens but how those left behind deal with it. Death is a matter of deep, abiding grief, but life is for the living.

Davrak is excellent as the sensitive son adrift in his own life and a strange country. While saying very little, his sad, gentle face registers everything.

Of the rest, the veteran actress Hanna Schygulla is outstanding. As the deeply conservative mother of a young German who falls in love with Ayten, she plays one of the film's more unsympathetic characters. That this is turned around shows how much Akin delights in challenging preconceptions.

By the close of his epic tale the viewer is left pleasantly exhausted, as if we've travelled as many miles, actual and emotional, as the cast. Recognising this, Akin ends with a long take showing one character sitting calmly at the ocean's edge, staring expectantly out to sea. Departures and arrivals: not just the stuff of travelling, but of life itself.

Filmhouse, Edinburgh, until March 20

12:58am Thursday 6th March 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login