Customer Reviews

Yasamin Kiyisinda / On the Other Side "Auf der anderen Seite" (DVD)

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This excellent movie was released as Edge of Heaven in the United States. The writer/director (and sometimes actor) Fatih Akin again mines the depths of the complex and intense interrelationship between the peoples of Germany and Turkey. Akin's previous film - Head-On [Gegen die Wand] - was a masterpiece. It won the European Film Award (2004) and swept the German Film awards for best film, actress, actor, direction and cinematography. It's easily one of the top five movies on my list. So, Akin set the bar very, very high for himself. 'Edge of Heaven' doesn't quite reach those heights, but is impressive and memorable nevertheless.

The film is constructed as a circular arc of near-misses, split-second tragedies and new beginnings as the characters move back and forth - sometimes legally, sometimes furtively - between Germany and Turkey. I was especially wowed by Akin's simple filming of two caskets: one being unloaded on a plane landing in Turkey just landed from Germany; and, subsequently, one being unloaded on a plane in Germany just landed from Turkey. In each case, the piece is wordless, but speaks volumes to the personal tragedy that has befallen one of the protagonists.

I personally found this movie to be spellbinding in its interwoven plots, as each plot unfolded you were pulled further into their story. I felt every emotion that was portrayed in this intense film. My heart broke for each character's death and in the end,i was left to contemplate whether Ali would ever return from the sea. This film is a must see for all ethnicities....(alternative title "The Edge of Heaven")