09 June 2009

Director Fatih Akin











No, his name is not Faith, it's Faa-tee. He's a German director with Turkish blood and his films usually take place in multiple countries, with multiple languages. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I had to ask someone exactly what was going on between these two groups, and this is more or less what I found out. In the 1960s Germany created a visa for "Guest Workers," allowing people from foreign countries to enter and earn money legally, but only for a certain amount of time. Most immigrants planned on moving back to their home country, except they started having children and planting roots. Now there is a huge Turkish community in Germany, but they are looked upon as secondary citizens. This happens all over the world, but I like seeing little pockets of cultural layering, especially when it takes place generationally within families. It makes for great drama, and Akin uses this to his advantage, while also being truly gifted at guiding performances. I could just sit and watch the faces of his actors for hours.













Head-On won the Golden Bear in 2004, along with a slew of other awards. Probably my favorite movie about marriage ever made. I really enjoyed watching it, but found myself to be seriously depressed and effected days later.



















Edge of Heaven really captures the existential connections that Kieslowski and Fellini gravitated towards in their work. It's not like Inarritu (Babel, 21 Grams), who thinks that we just bump into one another without reason and create chaos, it's very nuanced and has a sense of purpose.

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