The Edge of Heaven

In a Bremen suburb, seventy-something Turkish immigrant Ali (Tuncel Kurtiz) persuades Yeter (Nursel Kose), a middle-aged prostitute, to live with him as a tonic for his loneliness.

But the opening chapter title “Yeter’s Death” does not bode well and she soon lies dead by Ali’s accidental hand.

The septuagenarian’s son Nejat (Baki Davrak), a university professor, relocates to Istanbul to find Yeter’s young daughter Ayten (Yesilcay), opening a bookshop when the trail runs cold.

To escape persecution the tempestuous, politically militant Ayten has fled to Germany, where she begins a relationship with idealistic student Lotte (Patrycia Ziolkowska), to the chagrin of Lotte’s mother (Schygulla).

When Ayten faces deportation back to Turkey Lotte appoints herself the role of guardian angel, with tragic consequences.

Picking up Best Screenplay at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, The Edge of Heaven boasts character insight that belies Akin’s thirty-four years.

A finely observed culture clash story, this is a grown-up movie in the best sense of the word, demanding attention but with rewards outweighing risk even for the casual viewer.

Employing Pulp Fiction style chapter headings and a plot that flits back and forth, Akin navigates his players through disparate stories with the deft hand of a grandmaster, teasing out the ties that bind them and perfectly playing various near misses and chance encounters.

A great ensemble cast give the characters life, with honours going to Schygulla in a standout performance of dignity and grief.

The style may be cool and low-key, but the emotional wallop The Edge of Heaven packs by the final haunting shot suggests an exciting and important filmmaker has truly arrived.

Rob Daniel