Film Reviews

The Edge of Heaven

• Rating:
• Director: Fatih Akin
• Starring: Baki Davrak
• Details: Germany / Turkey / 122mins (15).

In another director's hands, The Edge Of Heaven's chapter-esque plotting would come across as episodic, but Head-On and Crossing The Bridge director Fatih Akin seamlessly knits the story together. It starts off with the elderly Ali (Kurtiz) propositioning prostitute Yeter (Yesilcay) to leave the brothel behind and come and live with him. Then, Ali becomes jealous when his son, German professor Nejat (Davrak), and Yeter become close. Ali lashes out and kills Yeter in a fit of rage, a crime of passion that lands him in jail. Nejat then takes off for Turkey to find Yeter's daughter, who is a political activist looking to flee the country for a safe house in Germany. I have to stop there as one link runs into the other and before anyone realises, the film is over. Like his previous outings, Akin isn't concerned with looking cool; he simply wants to tell a story about interesting characters. The constantly shifting story keeps The Edge Of Heaven moving forever onwards, but the pacing is slow and the coincidences that crop up feel strained rather than natural: the Turkish man who is a German professor winds up in a German bookstore in Turkey is Akin having fun, but he should let the rest of us in on the joke.

Review by Gavin Burke