Levan Akin’s Crossing doesn’t take long to get going, but it takes a while for it to truly set in.  Akin’s film, which he wrote and directed as well as co-edited, is about personal connections.  As vague as that sounds, the concept explains itself as more characters intersect with each other.

The individual stories of retired teacher Lia (Mzia Arabuli) and feisty layabout Achi (Lucas Kankava) are interesting on their own, but the characters are inspired by each other as soon as they meet;  whether they know it or not.  Lisa is searching for her wayward transgender daughter, Tekla, and she finds out during a random run-in with Achi that Tekla has departed for Istanbul.  The pair decide to make the trip to Istanbul after Achi, acting on this spontaneous inkling, offers to guide Lia.  In Istanbul, the filmmaker spreads the narrative’s scope to other characters;  such as another transgender woman, Evrim (Deniz Dumanli) and a couple of young street peddlers.

Akin isn’t afraid to pull focus from the film’s alleged leads, Lia and Achi, to search for parallel meaning on these Turkish streets with other personal stories.  While this narrative meandering is jarring at first, the audience learns to like Akin’s decision.  The segmented stories, soon enough, form a larger, poignant picture.  The “polar opposite” energy between Lia and Achi isn’t exactly novel, and the intersecting arcs is a quaint effort compared to a more grandiose character study like The Place Beyond the Pines.  But despite its traditionalism, Crossing is a realized drama that’s performed very well;  especially between Arable and Kankava (the latter of whom makes an impressive acting debut).  The development between them, and what they experience on their own, is really special.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie