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Lia travels to Istanbul with Achi to find her long lost transgender niece, Tekla.
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Why watch this film?
Chief Editor at Filmelier
From acclaimed director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced), Crossing is a moving and tender tale of identity, acceptance and unlikely connection that transcends borders and generations. Lia, a retired school teacher living in Georgia, hears from a young neighbour Achi that her long lost niece Tekla, a transgender woman, has crossed the border into Turkey. Hoping to bring Tekla home after a period of estrangement, Lia travels to Istanbul with the unpredictable Achi to find her. Exploring the hidden depths of the city, they cross paths with a transgender lawyer called Evrim, who helps them in their search. As a reluctant and surprising friendship forms between Achi and Lia, the unexpected duo begin to discover that Tekla may not want to be found. With remarkably authentic performances from Mzia Arabuli and newcomers Lucas Kankava and Deniz Dumanli, Akin's third film offers a vibrant and evocative portrait of the city of Istanbul. Humanistic and comionate, this hopeful vision of forgiveness is a heartfelt portrayal of overcoming the degrees of separation that divide us.
"Crossing is a Teddy Award-winning film at the Berlin Film Festival (which recognizes the best in queer cinema), directed by Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin (And Then We Danced). The plot follows a retired teacher from Georgia determined to fulfill her sister's last wish: to find her daughter, a trans woman who fled after being rejected by her family, and bring her back home. When a young man claims to know her and states that she fled to Turkey, they both set off to Istanbul to find her. The film is built on dichotomies: it's a road movie but also a mystery, its protagonists are from different generations, the past and present coexist uncomfortably in Istanbul, and of course, there's the transition between genders. Thus, the film proposes a reflection on reconciliation and acceptance—of the future, of difference, of ourselves—, not without showing that we can also lose our way."