The Edge of Heaven (2007)
"Auf der anderen Seite" (original title)

A Turkish man travels to Istanbul to find the daughter of his father's former girlfriend.

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Fatih Akin

Stars:

Baki Davrak, Gürsoy Gemec, Gengiz Daner

27 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Baki Davrak	...	Nejat Aksu
Gürsoy Gemec	...	Sohn des Tankstelleninhabers
Gengiz Daner	...	Tankstelleninhaber
Tuncel Kurtiz	...	Ali Aksu
Nursel Köse	...	Yeter Öztürk
Nurgül Yesilçay	...	Ayten Öztürk
Idil Üner	...	Ärztin
Erkan Can	...	Cousin Ufuk
Turgay Tanülkü	...	Cem
Elcim Eroglu	...	Elcim
Nurten Güner	...	Nurten
Asuman Altinay	...	Türkan
Gökhan Kirac	...	Junger Polizeibeamter
Nejat Isler	...	Kommissar
Lars Rudolph	...	Herr Obermüller

Storyline

Nejat seems disapproving about his widower father Ali's choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But he grows fond of her when he discovers she sends money home to Turkey for her daughter's university studies. Yeter's sudden death distances father and son. Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter's daughter Ayten. Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany. She is befriended by a young woman, Lotte, who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, a gesture not particularly pleasing to her conservative mother Susanne. When Ayten is arrested and her asylum plea is denied, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Lotte travels to Turkey,where she gets caught up in the seemingly hopeless situation of freeing Ayten.

---

Plot Keywords:

germany | police | death | prostitute | jail | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Offical Site [tr] Official site [de]

Country:

Germany Turkey Italy

Language:

German Turkish English

Release Date:

27 September 2007 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Edge of Heaven

Filming Locations:

Bremen, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$18,593 (USA) (23 May 2008)

Gross:

$741,283 (USA) (10 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anka Film, BKM, Dorje Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Baki Davrak was cast very late into proceedings and subsequently missed Akin's standard three-week rehearsal period. To bring him up to speed, Akin took him on a trip to Turkey.

---

Goofs

When the Lotte is driving through Bremen, she passes a bus in which Jeter (Jessy) and Baki were sitting after visiting Baki's father in the hospital. The first time we see them sitting in the bus, they are sitting together in the same seat. When Lotte passes the bus, they are sitting opposite of each other.

---

Quotes

story: After telling the story of Abraham that was willing to sacrifice his son, Ismael, to show God his obedience. Before Abraham could slay his son God sent a lamb to sacrifice instead.
Nejat Aksu: I asked my dad if he would have sacrificed me as well.
Susanne Staub: And what did he say?
Nejat Aksu: That he would even make an enemy of God to protect me.

---

Crazy Credits

Towards the end of the credits, details about the book Nejat gives to his father are given (it's a Turkish translation of "Die Tochter des Schmieds" by Selim Özdogan) with a request to read it: "Lest dieses Buch, Leute!" ("Read this book, people!") Selim Özdogan is a friend of Fatih Akin.

---

Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"Safak Türküsü"
Music by Ahmet Kaya and lyrics by Nevzat Celik
Performed by Ahmet Kaya

User Reviews

People are more alike than they often realize

Faith Akin, renowned for his energetic movie 'Gegen die Wand', brings another story about the Turkish-German community. The movie focuses on three families who are all connected in some way. In a beautiful way Akin shows the struggle of a Turkish prostitute, a professor of German literature, a young Turkish rebel, a student English and Spanish and a retired widower to find peace and happiness in their lives. Akin manages to avoid the many pitfalls which can lead to clichés. The characters remain just ordinary people with genuine emotions and problems. The movie also depicts the impact of globalization and multiculturalism in nowadays Germany and Turkey. It's the most debated topic of our time. To what extent do we want newcomers to adapt to their new surroundings and to what extent do we accept them to cherish their own cultural heritage. In an even broader perspective, it deals with the clash between the Islamic and western world. 'Auf der anderen Seite', which means on the other side, shows how Turkish immigrants come to love their new country, Germany, without losing their Turkish roots. I think Akin invites us to try and imagine the backgrounds of people, so there will be less misunderstanding. This view is symbolized by Lotte, a German student, who decides to help Ayten, a Turkish political activist who fled Turkey. She doesn't know the Turkish girl but just wants to help her, because the girl has nowhere to go. This quest even brings her to the shores of Istanbul, a city where East meets West in the most literal way.

In the end, 'Auf der anderen Seite' is a story of love and hope which is most endearing and sheds a refreshing light on the global trend of clashing cultures. Any one who is interested in these topics and just loves a very well made movie, ought see this German-Turkish production!