Sunday 27 October 2024, 3:30 pm
Rainbow Cinemas, Northumberland Mall
From acclaimed director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced), CROSSING is a moving and tender tale of identity, acceptance and unlikely connection that transcends borders and generations. Lia, a retired school teacher living in Georgia, hears from a young neighbor Achi that her long lost niece Tekla, a transgender woman, has crossed the border into Turkey. Hoping to bring Tekla home after a period of estrangement, Lia travels to Istanbul with the unpredictable Achi to find her. Exploring the hidden depths of the city, they cross paths with a transgender lawyer called Evrim, who helps them in their search. Humanistic and compassionate, Akin's third feature is a heartfelt portrayal of overcoming the degrees of separation that divide us.
Directed by: Levan Akin
Written by: Levan Akin
Starring: Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava, Deniz Dumanli
Cinematography: Lisabi Fridell
Languages: Georgian, Turkish, English
Rating: 14A
Review by Rich Cline
After his moving drama And Then We Danced, Swedish-Georgian filmmaker Levan Akin continues to explore society's margins with this involving story set in the persecuted trans subcultures of Georgia and Turkey. Bracingly observant, this humane film tackles big issues with unusual sensitivity, refusing to focus on harsher aspects of life for people simply trying to exist in a place that rejects them. So the film is engaging, uplifting and important.
In Batumi, retired schoolteacher Lia (Arabuli) is looking for her trans niece Tekla when she meets Achi (Kankava), a sparky teen who knew Tekla. Since he speaks some English and Turkish, Achi accompanies Lia to find her in Istanbul. Anything to escape his brutish big brother (Bochorishvili). But Lia is dismissive of the restless, chatty Achi, even though she needs him. Meanwhile, activist Evrim (Dumanli) is advocating for Istanbul's trans hooker community, because she used to be part of it. And cheeky street urchin Izzet (Deger) makes a connection between her, Lia and Achi.
Beautifully shot by Lisabi Fridell to capture authentic rhythms in the locations, the film ripples with earthy storylines that meander meaningfully forward, although they're so realistic that we doubt a tidy ending is on the cards. But Akin has something more powerful in mind, drawing an array of plot threads together to offer both dark honesty and a glimmer of hope, most notably in Evrim's tentative romance with the smiley driver Omer (Sudancikmaz). Each of the connections made throughout this film resonates with real emotion.
With a wonderful deadpan charm, Arabuli delivers a beautifully nuanced performance as a middle-aged woman who begins to remember her earlier, more open-minded youth. Lia's prickly approach to Achi is balanced by her emotive internal journey, which continually catches the viewer off-guard. Newcomer Kankava has a wonderfully loose-limbed honesty as a young man who can't quite understand why trans people have been banished from his homeland. His earthy charm is magnetic. Dumanli and the young Deger also have strongly engaging screen presence, demanding attention from society's fringe.
While the themes that ripple through this film are pungent and vital, the story remains riveting as Akin continually focusses on the characters' internal journeys. These don't always take the expected trajectories, surprising us with insight and reality, plus a final sequence that's darkly wrenching in what it has to say about families, and indeed entire societies, that allow bigoted public perception to destroy compassion for loved ones. It's a pointed message, but it's said with truthfulness and urgency.