6 reviews
Crossing
There's something entirely plausible about the performance from Mzia Arabuli in this poignant drama. She is the retired school teacher "Lia" who is determined to track down her niece now that her sister has recently died. She lives in Georgia, likes a drink or two, and thinks that "Tekla" has fled to neighbouring Turkey where she is able to live her life more freely. She is trans - and that's not a situation encouraged at home! "Lia" hasn't a word of Turkish, though, so she agrees to take local wide boy "Achi" (Lucas Kankava) with her as a sort of guide-cum-translator. The seedier side of Istanbul beckons for both of them, but what chance of tracking down one person in a city of millions? Fortunately, the young man can't sleep one night and goes out to explore. He makes some new friends and these friends lead them to newly qualified lawyer "Evrim" (Deniz Dumanli) who promises to try to help... Now it would have been very easy for auteur Levan Akin to do this the A+B=C way, but he doesn't. He doesn't make the film about the search for "Tekla" so much as about a search by this woman to find herself, to reignite her sense of purpose and to to put into perspective issues that drive families apart leaving everyone bereft of affection and understanding. It's that role that Arabuli plays with an honesty that really works. There's an almost maternal chemistry between her and the young "Achi" and as they search, we see a city that really is a potpourri of just about every aspect of humanity - some friendly, so less so. I found this to be quite an effective film about live-and-let-live in a city where poverty and wealth exist side by side and where there appears to be a largely prevailing degree of tolerance and, to an extent, generosity of spirit. It's hopeful but not unrealistic, and proof that there's plenty of life in the old girl yet!
- CinemaSerf
- Aug 16, 2024
- Permalink
A Wholesome Story Featuring A Foreign View On Istanbul
Levan Akin's new film wonderfuly captures the essence of istanbul. The composition and shots combined with the strong chemistry of the main characters make up for a wholesome story. Mzia Arabuli is wonderful and her character is one of the best aspects of the movie. Storywise crossing features a fresh script by combining the modest lives of 3 people and creates an story that strongly bonds together by showing different aspects of each characters lives, coincidentally based in the same condition but with different purposes. The only exception in the film was the choice of music as it didn't make a strong impact and definitely could have been used better. Especially in the ending scene. But overall despite being a festival film(for people with bias), crossing takes its place as one of the greater movies of 2024 that should definitely be seen for its unique story and characters.
- deringencoglu
- May 22, 2024
- Permalink
Beautiful, emotional and funny
- martinpersson97
- Mar 29, 2024
- Permalink
Best movie so far this year
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.
Culturally Representative, Realistic Movie
I think this movie would be highly acclaimed by watchers that are not familiar to life in Turkey, since it introduces the life in Istanbul, which is quite different from the life in Europe overall. I watched this with a friend and while he enjoyed and surprised by the things presented, I was already familiar to most of these problems or events that occurs during the movie.
As a culturally representative movie, I think it is a great one but in terms of overall story development, acting and filmography I feel like it lacks and can be improved on these aspects. The story only improves at the beginning and the end of the film, which results with watching those culture inducing scenes which the Turkish population is already very aware of.
Overall I recommend this movie to people who did not visit or lived in Turkey at least for a month.
As a culturally representative movie, I think it is a great one but in terms of overall story development, acting and filmography I feel like it lacks and can be improved on these aspects. The story only improves at the beginning and the end of the film, which results with watching those culture inducing scenes which the Turkish population is already very aware of.
Overall I recommend this movie to people who did not visit or lived in Turkey at least for a month.
Gender and culture exploration
An exploration of lament as well as gender and culture in a story that follows Lia, a retired teacher, played by Mzia Arabuli, going on a journey to Istanbul in search of her lost niece. In said journey, while in Georgia, she meets Achi, Lucas Kankava, the younger brother of a former student, who will accompany her to Turkey.
Right from the beginning, we notice Lia's reasons are unclear, a decision that later translates into information about her past and reasons to be known along the way. Her demeanor, often defensive and not too friendly, for instance, in a scene she tells her companion he's free to join her but she won't be taking care of him, poses a contrast to Achi's, dynamics rendering the movie engaging from the start. There is something interesting in watching two very different people join to do something, we barely know them, but somehow that doesn't render them unsympathetic, on the contrary, they are likeable characters in their, at first sight, simplicity. Mzia Arabuli's performance effectively captures real emotions through a nuanced palette of expressions where her often seriousness makes of the glimpses of a smile something special. Not only we see through Lia more and more as the story progresses, but also her character development efficiently conveys how much someone can change, making her an endearing character. A character in whom it is easy to find aspects of ourselves and therefore feel connected to her as well as to the story.
Levan Akin's Crossing offers a culturally representative immersive experience in Istanbul, Turkey. Streets convey how cats find themselves at home there and how multi-cultural tourism finds in it a destination choice. The movie is interested in exploring the reality of trans people in Istanbul. A reality looked through eyes that don't judge and opt to depart from the usual polemics. Akin's feature bears a slight resemblance to Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura, if only on the way the seemingly main purpose of its story almost feels subordinated to something else. It's not that we lose the centrality or the foundation, but rather, the characters connection, no matter how different they might be to one another, constitutes the more interesting aspect of the movie, how their lives cross. By reason of this, if only on the surface, resemblance, the movie finds its weakest aspect in the epilogue which only offers a glimpse of something that would've been interesting to explore further. It is because of the epilogue that we finally understand Crossing didn't depart that much from its main plot. And by letting us in, even in the form of glimpses, into that past and how it comes back as a haunting menace, we cannot but ask ourselves if it wouldn't have been better to spend more time exploring it.
Right from the beginning, we notice Lia's reasons are unclear, a decision that later translates into information about her past and reasons to be known along the way. Her demeanor, often defensive and not too friendly, for instance, in a scene she tells her companion he's free to join her but she won't be taking care of him, poses a contrast to Achi's, dynamics rendering the movie engaging from the start. There is something interesting in watching two very different people join to do something, we barely know them, but somehow that doesn't render them unsympathetic, on the contrary, they are likeable characters in their, at first sight, simplicity. Mzia Arabuli's performance effectively captures real emotions through a nuanced palette of expressions where her often seriousness makes of the glimpses of a smile something special. Not only we see through Lia more and more as the story progresses, but also her character development efficiently conveys how much someone can change, making her an endearing character. A character in whom it is easy to find aspects of ourselves and therefore feel connected to her as well as to the story.
Levan Akin's Crossing offers a culturally representative immersive experience in Istanbul, Turkey. Streets convey how cats find themselves at home there and how multi-cultural tourism finds in it a destination choice. The movie is interested in exploring the reality of trans people in Istanbul. A reality looked through eyes that don't judge and opt to depart from the usual polemics. Akin's feature bears a slight resemblance to Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura, if only on the way the seemingly main purpose of its story almost feels subordinated to something else. It's not that we lose the centrality or the foundation, but rather, the characters connection, no matter how different they might be to one another, constitutes the more interesting aspect of the movie, how their lives cross. By reason of this, if only on the surface, resemblance, the movie finds its weakest aspect in the epilogue which only offers a glimpse of something that would've been interesting to explore further. It is because of the epilogue that we finally understand Crossing didn't depart that much from its main plot. And by letting us in, even in the form of glimpses, into that past and how it comes back as a haunting menace, we cannot but ask ourselves if it wouldn't have been better to spend more time exploring it.
- meinwonderland
- Sep 26, 2024
- Permalink