Overrated

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The Edge of Heaven has failed all my assumptions from the very start in such an impressive way that my appreciation and excitement has reached its limits by the end of the film. While my expectations of the developments in more "happy ending" way* has failed I was touched with the emotional ending which made me feel that "regardless of how upside down, unfair and cruel our faith might be, with a positive and forgiving outlook life sweet life always finds a way". Going through my feelings as I was watching The Edge of Heaven, I first thought that it was going to be all about the life of a Turkish prostitute in Germany. Big mistake that I unfairly disregarded it too soon! A brief plot of the Islamic extremists' dark clouds over woman, especially Muslim background has grabbed my attention. And the fact that the point was made effortlessly, effectively and briefly drawn me into the next plot with more curiosity. There was a point of time in the book shop, just as I thought the coincidences in life will be illustrated in quite a banal way, a complete opposite has happened. Like the German girl missing the post on the notice board. It was the coincidences that could happen but gets missed without much luck; and no one can say that it doesn't happen in real life since we can rarely know if we might have missed a coincidence ourselves. Beautiful ending, again surprising and eye opener! The father, the character which many viewers might not have a good impression of, turned out to be just an unfortunate old man. As he decided to go back to Trabzon to go fishing, the look on his eyes told the viewer all his regrets for the accident that he did not mean, for losing his son and the woman he loved and that he planned his end where he thought he belonged! Emotional and beautiful! *I should stop watching Disney movies!

There's an old song from the 1930s written by Irving Berlin that sings about being in heaven while dancing cheek to cheek; I think Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced a great scene in one of their memorable movies while that music played and they danced. So, when, in this movie, two people realize they deeply love each other as they dance, while that old standard plays in the background, I intuitively felt that the meaning of the title now made sense for me.That scene comes in the second part, about half way through the story. So first, to put you in the picture – no pun intended – there are three parts, two of which have titles that announce a person's death (and that's no spoiler at all), while the third part uses only the title of the movie. With that basic structure, the director, Faith Akin, refines it with clever recursive filming and editing to allow this viewer to savor his grandly ironic tale of love, tragedy and redemption. Quite simply, it's not too strong to say I was almost spellbound.Slow pacing allows the viewer to fully contemplate the development and interaction of an eclectic group of characters: the young Turkish professor in Germany, Nejat Aksu (Baki Devrat) obsessed with finding the daughter of his father's dead girlfriend; Ayten Ozturk, (Nurgul Yesilcay), a young Turkish woman equally determined to find her mother, somewhere in Germany; Lotte Straub (Patrycia Ziolkowska) possessed with the need to get her lover freed from prison; and a muted, but powerful performance from (an unrecognizable, for me) Hanna Schygulla who plays Susanne Straub, searching for her daughter, Lotte.Set against the often violent, anti-capitalist politics of the 1980s, the director interleaves the four threads of different but related stories in the overall plot - the unique sequence of events and perspectives. In doing so, he makes good use of coincidence; overall, there are maybe three or four occasions when threads of the different stories coincided, but not all at the same time. Some might argue he overused that structural ploy; I don't think so. You can come to your own assessment when you see the movie.The acting and mise en scene are word and picture perfect, respectively. And the director uses all the tools of artistic trade to make this relatively simple but believable story entertain and keep viewers on edge about the final outcome. Which, when it comes, reinforces the all-powerful need for and effect of true and lasting love - even in the midst of tragedy. So, if there is any heaven at all, this film clearly shows the way.Some, though, might feel cheated with the final scene; but I hope they are the small minority. Offhand, I can't think of other good filmic comparisons, other than a few from director Robert Altman who mixed different stories so well into a cohesive, thematic whole. Give this eight for sure; recommended for all, except kids.September 6, 2012

I just watched this film on the BBC iPlayer without knowing anything about the film or the director. I'm so glad that I actually took the time to see it. It overflows with human emotions, ranging from anger to romance, grief and forgiveness; an amazing story, as true as real life with characters that you can easily connect to which are brought to life by an exceptional cast. The film itself contains some spoilers that I originally thought were annoying but you then realise that the way the film is structured and the way the plot unfolds, are all elements a very cohesive output that is both creative and compelling. In terms of photography, I really loved some of the shots but I do not think that this was a priority for the director; and rightly so because the pace, story and emotions are so strong that I think any emphasis on photography would have took something away from the experience. Overall, a very nice surprise for me that will definitely make me watch some of the director's other films. Highly recommended.

This is such a complex movie with very complex characters. It also involves the tests of cultural differences. In the little traveling I've done, I always find myself looking over my shoulder, not because of the regular kinds of danger, but those cultural things of which I am ignorant. This has to do with subtle differences in government and the oppression of citizens. It has to do with the reaction toward those who defy authority. Also, Islam plays a large part in all of this. Ultimately, however, this is about a realistic portrayal of some incredibly interesting people, not because of what they have done, but how they are portrayed and react. I guess that makes it stellar acting. All the characters move around in a broad circle, motivated by their pain. There is the constant tug of how one is able to maintain a political agenda when one is faced with human tragedy. How much of life is about making a point. I kept waiting for all the pieces to be put together. They never are; but it is no matter. It's an excellent film.