Crossing

Lia, a retired teacher, has made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. When Lia learns from a neighbour, Achi, that Tekla might have left their Georgian homeland and be living in Turkey, Lia and Achi set off together to find her. Arriving in Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities. But searching for someone who never intended to be found is harder than they expected – until they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s backstreets, Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.

Emotionally rich, deeply humane and politically resonant […] Akin creates a beautifully poetic sense of place… Long weaving shots lead us through the uneven, cat-filled streets and cramped corridors of the city, where the ezan is called out from mosques and homeless kids try to hustle a few lira from passers-by. Akin offers a moving portrayal of the bonds that can form between people who, on the surface at least, have little in common. In the rooming houses of Istanbul’s red-light district, where women shout down from the windows and camaraderie unites them through the walls, the director explores alternative means of belonging. The beating heart and hope of Crossing lies ultimately with collective activism rather than with family.

Carmen Grey, Sight & Sound

Warmly humanistic… This novelistic drama takes time to connect its central triangle but does so with a suppleness and restraint that amplify the emotional rewards.

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Dumanli, making her screen feature debut here, is a pure joy to watch, enveloping the movie in a sense of warm coziness and safety as, just being in her presence, you feel like everything will somehow work out. But that doesn’t mean Crossing holds back on pungent, tough truths.

Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire

Breathes hope and joy… Part road movie, part mystery, Crossing pulls you in with engaging plot beats but unfolds with an unhurried grace that never cheapens the endeavor.

Robert Daniels, rogerebert.com