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| Movie Review: Edge of Heaven Alternate Title: Lost and Found
Story: I loved this film. It
had everything a cinephile like me looks for in a movie. The story was
engrossing with overlapping story lines.The film is character driven
and emotionally packed. The writing and acting were first rate and I
cared about each character, regardless of their errors in judgment.
This award winning film was written and directed by Fatih Akin
and is in German, Turkish and English with English subtitles.
The story is divided into three parts with separate
chapter headings. We are told which character will die before two of
the chapters. This knowledge takes nothing away from the poignancy of
the film. The audience, actually, knows more about the connectives in
the story than the characters themselves. How the characters meet, influence
one another, overlap, intersect and discover themselves is fascinating
to watch.
The movie is about connections, coincidence,
rediscovery, passion, mothers and daughters and fathers and sons. This
film has everything. It was a totally satisfying cinematic experience.
The trailer gives you a tiny hint of some of
the beautiful faces you will see in this glorious film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8rhDyhIloM FYI: I learned more about the nature of Turkey's
entry into the European Union from this film than from any newspaper
article or TV report on the subject. Acting: The five leading characters are sensational.
Tuncel Kurtiz, Baki Davrak, Nursel Kose, Nurgul Yesilcay
and the always wonderful Hanna Schygulla. Predilection: None
Critters: A cat who works at a bookstore and some
cattle.
Food: Yummy Turkish dishes.
Sex Spectrum: Two fob the characters are lesbians
but you only see them cuddling in bed and one of the characters is a
hooker and one the John.
Soundtrack: Music to the ears.
Visual Art: A nice look at middle class German and
Turkish homes.
Theater Audience: A handful of patrons on the last
day of this film's showing at the Film Forum.
Weather: Nice all over Europe for this shoot.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: I did not take my eyes off the screen
for a second.
Predictability Level: I had no idea where this film
would end up.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Yes
Big Screen or Rental: If you can find it on the big
screen that would be grand. If not, put it on your NetFlix list ASAP.
For my 2005 review of Fatih Akin's Head-On go to: http://judithwolfe.com/lobosmoviereviews/reviews/headon.html
Length: Two hours.
LOBO HOWLS: 9.25 |