Toward the end of "The Edge of Heaven," an exquisitely mysterious feature by the German-born Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin, a young man and an older woman meet at the intersection of coincidence and fate. "What shall we drink to?" the man asks. "To death," the woman replies. She has her reasons. In a drama that uses intertitles to predict two deaths, her daughter has been one of the casualties. Yet Mr. Akin's film is so full of life that it leaves you breathless.
Loneliness, loss and capricious love guide the fortunes of three families in this powerful, beautifully realized drama. His clockwork plot brings the characters together in surprising configurations or separates them in frustrating near-misses, deprived of relationships that would allow them to complete the puzzle of their lives.
In "The Edge of Heaven" everything converges but nothing connects. Not quite, at least, and it's that gap -- the shadow cast between a desiring heart and hard reality – that gives this film both its gathering emotional momentum and, ultimately, its profound weight. Having proved in "Head-On" that he's a young director to watch, Fatih Akin makes a quantum leap here -- his work reflects his heritage, exploring the tensions and examining the fissures in culture's global clash.
"The Edge of Heaven" is propelled by the beautiful camerawork and scenery that moves back and forth between pastoral idyll and urban chaos as it takes viewers on a journey that ends with a final image as quiet and beautiful as any in recent cinema.
A stirring drama of frayed nationality and hungry connection, "The Edge of Heaven" is a film to be seen, savored and thoughtfully appreciated. In German, Turkish and English with English subtitles, it is not rated but contains sexual content and adult situations. It has a running time of 122 minutes.
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Date and Time
Friday Dec 12, 2008 Tuesday Dec 16, 2008
December 12th, 13th, 15th & 16th at 7pm
Location
Smith Opera House82 Seneca St.Geneva, NY
Fees/Admission
$5 general admission$3 students & senior citizens
Website
Contact Information
315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll- free 1-866-355-LIVE (5483)
