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MovieMail's Review
After breaking through with the exhilarating Head-On and consolidating his reputation with the evocative documentary Crossing the Bridge, Fatih Akin’s latest film is his best yet, a complex ensemble piece examining race conflicts between Germany and Turkey (although born in Germany, Akin himself is of Turkish descent). Featuring brilliant performances and a superb script (which won the screenplay award at Cannes), The Edge of Heaven could well be destined for classic status.
The opening title warns us, Brecht-style, that the death of one of the characters is imminent, as an elderly Turkish man invites a prostitute to live with him if she agrees to sleep with no other man. Playing like the realist flipside of Pretty Woman, the first act sensitively establishes the unsentimental yet initially courteous relationship between the two characters and the man’s son, until the sudden death radically alters the dynamic. In the second act we discover the prostitute’s long-departed daughter, Ayten, has become a militant political refugee, whose fate is apparently sealed by the ridiculous protocol of the authorities (Turkey’s impending entry into the EU lingers persistently in the background, exposing the hypocrisies of both the Turkish and German governments). She embarks on a passionate relationship with a German girl, whose mother (Hanna Schygulla) strongly disapproves of Ayten’s influence. Another sudden act of violence leads into the final chapter, and an incredibly moving resolution that offers redemption to some of the most unlikely characters.
There are some terrific performances in The Edge of Heaven, particularly from Schygulla. Her presence recalls the work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, an acknowledged influence on Akin, although the latter’s cinema is far kinder to his characters, discovering admirable sides to humanity where Fassbinder would only find spite. Akin’s style of filmmaking also brings to mind the work of another contemporary director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, particularly Babel; Iñárritu, too, finds interesting stories in complex characters who, in other films, would be relegated to supporting roles. Whilst the synopsis may make The Edge of Heaven sound bleak, the last reels in particular pulsate with optimism, culminating in a lovely final shot.
From the director of Head On (2003) and Crossing the Bridge (2005) comes The Edge of Heaven (Auf Der Anderen Seite). Set in Germany and Istanbul, family, nationality and politics collide as a young German professor seeks out the daughter of his father's mistress. This rich ensemble piece made its world premiere in competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
