"Auf der anderen Seite" was writer and director Faith Akin's next project after the very successful "Gegen die Wand" and this one here is once again about German-Turkish relationships, probably to an even bigger extent (in terms of the Turkish impact) than his previous work. Lead actor Baki Davrak is not even known here in Germany anymore really, but his film here still managed impressive success with awards bodies all over the world. The hype around Akin has decreased a bit in the last couple years, but here back in 2007, it was pretty much at its peak.
The story is about a Turkish man living in Germany and about everything that happens to the people he encounters and most of it is not particularly pleasant. "Auf der anderen Seite"" or "On the other side" is a title that refers to Turkey/Germany, but also to the afterlife in terms of this film. One example would be the man accidentally killing his woman when he hits her to the head with something heavy, a story arc Akin included in a similar manner in "Gegen die Wand", something that changes everything for victim and offender.
As a whole, I was missing moments of true greatness in this film here, moments that had my eyes glued to the screen, but the collection of stories and characters was nonetheless fairly interesting in my opinion. I enjoyed the watch, even if I am a bit baffled by all the awards attention this film and Hanna Schygulla got for her performance. The rest of the cast were at least as good. If you have an interest in foreign cultures and culture clash or just German films in general and are not scared by the bleakness of the film, these almost two hours here are certainly worth checking out. Good writing and good acting, overall a success.
The story is about a Turkish man living in Germany and about everything that happens to the people he encounters and most of it is not particularly pleasant. "Auf der anderen Seite"" or "On the other side" is a title that refers to Turkey/Germany, but also to the afterlife in terms of this film. One example would be the man accidentally killing his woman when he hits her to the head with something heavy, a story arc Akin included in a similar manner in "Gegen die Wand", something that changes everything for victim and offender.
As a whole, I was missing moments of true greatness in this film here, moments that had my eyes glued to the screen, but the collection of stories and characters was nonetheless fairly interesting in my opinion. I enjoyed the watch, even if I am a bit baffled by all the awards attention this film and Hanna Schygulla got for her performance. The rest of the cast were at least as good. If you have an interest in foreign cultures and culture clash or just German films in general and are not scared by the bleakness of the film, these almost two hours here are certainly worth checking out. Good writing and good acting, overall a success.