The Edge of Heaven (Auf der Anderen Seite)
Director Fatih Akin was born in Germany, of Turkish extraction. In The Edge Of Heaven he pursues a theme visited in Head On (Gegen Die Wand): the perceptions and experiences of people straddling cultural divides.
In our global, post-modern society, where people grapple with reconciling the push for individualism with a need for belonging, The Edge Of Heaven presents a thought-provoking exploration of the confluence between nationality and identity.
This is another of a number of films recently, that have explored the complicated relationships between various countries: France and Algeria, the United States and Mexico, and in Akin’s latest feature, the awkward relationships between Turkey and Germany, and Turks and Kurds.
But in this film, the dichotomy is broadened beyond nationality, to include gender, sexuality, religion, familial generations, and even membership to, or exclusion from, the European Union.
Then – ultimately – there’s us: the audience, whose allegiance to any one or combination of these dualities is likely to be reaffirmed or perhaps dispelled after seeing this film. At the very least, our precepts will be questioned.
Fatih Akin explores these themes through a storyline that is as intriguing as the issues it raises. It would be a sin to reveal the story. You should surrender to its unfolding before you. Suffice it to say that Akin’s skills as a screenwriter are confirmed by his ability to craft a fairly convoluted plot with the most improbable coincidences, without any of it seeming implausible! Moreover, while we know at the beginning of each section of the film what the outcome will be (the death of one of the characters is announced at the beginning of each section of the film), the story still manages to engage and surprise the viewer.
His excellent script is executed by consistently fine performances, most notably from Hanna Schygulla, whom fans of European cinema will immediately recognise. Each cast member is representative of a particular perspective across the aforementioned cultural divides, but without being one-dimensional, or stereotypical.
The only criticism of this film is that it should have been released here under a more accurately translated title of the German: Auf der Andere Seite – such as On The Other Side, to more suitably represent its themes. Ironically for this film, there are no excuses for words not translating well across cultures.
That said, The Edge Of Heaven promises to be one of the best films of the year, and is worthy of at least one viewing – probably more, if you are to truly grasp all it has to offer.