Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “If the Earth were one big country, Istanbul would become its capital.” For Levan Akin, this ancient city is not presented as the center of the world but as one big Hades.
For the Swedish director of Georgian origin, it is undeniable that Georgia and its social problems interest him very much. After all, the “warmest” welcome he received in Tbilisi during his film career was in 2019, when the premiere of the film “And Then We Danced” was held at the “Amirani” cinema. Many would have thought after that event that he would get bored with all this and start making films on other topics, but no. At the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, he presented the most important film of his work, “Crossing” (2024), which tells the story of a Georgian woman named Lia. This film is a co-production of several countries, in which Georgia also participated.
The main action takes place in Istanbul. Lia heads from the village of Adjara to Istanbul to find her transgender niece, with whom her sister and she fell out years ago, however, she promised her sister that she would find her child after her death. She is helped by her pupil's brother, Achi in all this. This is a young boy who appears to us somewhat stereotypical from the very beginning - a street boy with an obscure past who seems to think only of his own survival. It turns out meanwhile that he really stands by Lia's side selflessly. The regulator of all this is the main character, who sets specific rules for the young man so that he can go on a journey with her. The reason is that Achi speaks broken English and knows the place where Lia's niece might be.
The director's main research topic is people and their conscience, which still appears sooner or later in the end. The closest topic to Akin is “queer” people and their problems, although in this case he showed us not the loss seen through the eyes of the transgender person but that of a family member who is experiencing his expulsion from the same family. The film clearly shows the pain caused by the actions committed by the character years ago. Lia's phrase - “I have no future, and that's all” - accurately expresses this pain and sadness. Finding her niece becomes her last life goal and mission. It no longer makes sense for her what and how this life will be, the main thing is to find the person she thrusted away years ago.
The story of Lia and Achi is based on the ancient Greek myth, which tells us about Orpheus' journey to Hades. For the main character, the dark streets of Istanbul, where prostitutes live, truly represent Hades, hell on earth. However, other characters and the goal of finding her niece give her the strength to move forward. Even alone. So happens in one episode, when she goes straight to the door of one of the transgender people and asks them everything.
The director also builds other characters in the footsteps of the myth. Achi's character can be compared to the character of Hermes, who helps Orpheus find his way in an alternative version of the myth. The first was Achi, who, using information found on the Internet, told Lia where to find her lost relative. The character of Evrim (Deniz Dumanli) is a kind of modern version of Charon, the ferryman of Hades, who takes those who arrive there to Hades in exchange for a specific amount of money. Evrim is a lawyer working for an NGO who helps Achi and Lia track them down.
Along with Lia, Achi's character is an important figure in this adventure. The young boy, with his infantilism and discovery of a new world, at a glance, prevents the main character from solving the main case, however, we can assume that Achi is a kind of “cold water” for a woman who sometimes, as if blindfolded, acts completely illogically. If Lia “The Widow of Otarashvili” wears iron shoes and goes door to door in Tekla’s search, Achi does not bother much waiting for the right time and place (maybe not even that) to ask the right people questions in the language he knows. It is precisely on this principle that he gets to know Evrim, who really finds Tekla’s whereabouts.
The character of Evrim herself is also a very versatile person. At first, you think that she is also a prostitute and a transvestite, but you soon realize that she is a graduated and experienced lawyer. Additionally, her most beautiful side is seen when we learn that she has sheltered the two homeless little siblings who, like troubadours, follow various characters with songs throughout the film. We can say that she is their informal guardian. It should be noted that this is the first role for the woman who plays this character, Deniz Dumanli, which is even more surprising because her performance gives her character amazing features. For an inexperienced actress to do such a thing is very appreciable and noteworthy.
The acting cast is not very small, but they cannot be left unappreciated. Mzia Arabuli's performance in the film, without any exaggeration, is phenomenal. Such a thing is rare in modern Georgian cinema, especially from female actresses. Her performance is so laconic and sharp that even a simple facial expression or a raised eyebrow speaks volumes. It is obvious that she is truly professional because the actress does not act in kitschy theatrical manners but is able to speak to the audience with her eyes, and her emotions can be read just by looking at them.
Lukas Kankava turned out to be an extraordinary partner, not only did he cope well with the assigned mission but also adapted wonderfully to playing with his partner. His character was not too difficult to create although it should be noted that, despite his scant experience, he effectively played the role.
“Crossing” is also distinguished by its excellent cinematography, which is a credit to its director of photography, Lisabi Fridell. She also worked on Akin’s previous film, where she showed herself no less, but here she turned her professional craft into art. Her shots not only create the atmosphere of Istanbul, but also tell us about the nooks and crannies of this city without words, which create extraordinary detail.
This film was very important and successful for Levan Akin because it tells us about human tragedy, family problems, social division and moral aspects. For him, the main starting point in this film is the human being, without any labels.
Saba Makharashvili
