A retired teacher in Georgia goes in search of her niece Tekla in the hopes of reuniting with her in Turkey.
Mzia Arabuli is simply wonderful as Lia whose sister, Tekla’s mother, has died and it’s up to Lia to deliver the bad news. Tekla left Georgia because she was trans and wasn’t very well accepted by both her mother and aunt.
Lia hooks up local boy Achi (a very good Lucas Kankava) and together they go in search of Tekla in a crowded and cat filled Istanbul.
We are also given a parallel story of Evrim (Denis Dumanl) a trans activist lawyer who works for a local gay charity who befriends two little adorable rambunctious children who seem to have no parents. Lia and Ervin’s worlds eventually collide in the search to find Tekla. ‘Crossing’ which refers to the crossing of the Black Sea from Georgia to Turkey, is an amazing and bittersweet film which also highlights the LGBT experience in Instanbul.
Crossing is just about perfect, with Director and Writers beautiful script and subtle direction. The last five minutes of the film delves into a hypothetical story of Lia finding Tekla and what she’d say to her which throws the plot off its course, and hence makes it a less than perfect film. Nonetheless Crossing is a quiet yet deeply emotional film. ‘Crossing’ is partially based on a true story.
Review by Tim Baros
Crossing isnow in UK cinemas