Aka: Auf der anderen Seite (On The Other Side, its original German title)
Made by Fatih Akin (Head-On, Crossing The Bridge) this is a remarkable film, haunting, memorably and superbly made. I knew of Akin as a film-maker who tackles the complex relationship between Turkey (where his family originates) and Germany (where he grew up), but wasn't aware of seeing his films before this one. As it happens, I've seen Crossing the Bridge, a documentary following Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten as he explores Istanbul's musical melting pot. I got into traditional and contemporary Turkish music off the back of that film and those exotic, comforting sounds accompany this film.
I don't want to give a synopsis, but you can find one here and here.
This film really blew me away. You know those trailers with the trailer-voice-man saying things like "one man's journey to another world" and all that sorta stuff, the stuff they've buthered the Persepolis trailer with in the UK? Well this film is the reason such trailers exist. It tracks the emotional journey of a group of people, connected deeply but not really knowing it, and it also tracks the history of two countries, the history of history really.
Oh just read those two links. They're much better at wording it than me. And see this film. It's out in June on DVD - rent it!
Here's a couple of trailers:
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