CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL (Germany-Tur / 2005)

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*A 2006 U.S. Release* 



The notion of hybridity appears to be a key element in the work of filmmaker Fatih Akin. If his Golden Bear winning effort, Head-On (2004), emanated from the ruins that resulted from a moral, emotional and historical collision between the "East" and the "West," then his follow-up, Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul, a musical homage to the great city of Istanbul, revisits the remnants to seize and galvanize the excess charge, and to see if the two sides are differentiable at all.

The idea of shooting a documentary about the citys varied music scene originated while Akin was working on Head-On. His composer, Alexander Hacke, the bass player from the legendary West-Berlin industrial band "Einstrzende Neubauten," came to Istanbul to record the Romany choral compositions under the guidance of master clarinetist Selim Sesler, and developed a unique bond with the music and the artists. Akin decided to send Hacke, who he rightfully sees as a bit like "the Dude" from the The Big Lebowski (1998), back to Istanbul as a guide in order to facilitate the audiences exploration.

Early on, while roaming the streets of the Turkish cultural capital with his mobile recording devices, Hacke comes across such electronic, rock and hip-hop based bands as Baba Zula, Orient Expressions, Ceza, Duman and Replickas -- all, in one way or another, indebted to maverick rocker Erkin Koray, the first to play Turkish music while employing modern equipment. The rappers ideologically are much more Tupac than 50 Cents, and strive to have a positive political influence. The music gradually becomes more traditional (and political) as Hacke makes his way towards the outskirts of the city to interview more renowned artists. Kurdish singer Aynur laments the fact that "non-Turkish" music was banned during the 80s; her haunting dirge in a Turkish hammam expresses her anguish.

But ultimately its the Madonna of Turkish pop, Sezen Aksu, who brings the film full circle with her crooning of her famous song "Memories of Istanbul," which serves in sharp contrast to an earlier number about the city by an eccentric DJ. And while doing so, it proves the fact that the city on the Bosporus is just as diverse as its music, which defies all definitions and boundaries.

Grade: B+
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*CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL premiered at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival (out-of-competition)

*Available on DVD in the U.S. (Strand Releasing) / U.K. (Soda Pictures.)