August is usually a quiet month for film: the summer blockbusters are gone, and the best films of the year are soon-to-be-released. Yet there are still plenty of interesting films to see in the theater and at home. This month’s column takes us to Turkey on a wonderful journey of discovery before landing in Germany for a gripping film about an idealistic young teacher (just in time for the new school year!). Get out to the movies and enjoy the last of summer.

Crossing (2024)

One of my great privileges in life is to attend the Berlin Film Festival every year. I have been going for the past three years, and the films are marvelous, diverse, and eclectic. So many of the films from this venerable festival never make it to our shores, and so many are lost in time. When we do get the chance see any of the films from Berlin, it is a chance that we shouldn’t pass up. One of those opportunities lands this month when the Sie Film Center opens this wonderful film from Georgia/Turkey.

Crossing

Written and Directed by Swedish filmmaker Levin Akin, this fascinating work of art breathes life into the often-overused cliché “the journey is the destination.” The story: retired Georgian teacher Lia sets out to find her transgender niece Tekla, who disappeared from their small village several years ago under difficult circumstances. With the help of mercurial young huckster Achi, they travel to Istanbul where Lia was supposedly last seen. Arriving in the bustling metropolis, they find a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, lawyer Evrin who is dedicated to helping out that persecuted community, and a host of assorted characters that would make Fellini proud.

What struck me upon first seeing this film was the energy, vibrancy, and honesty of the subjects in the film as well as the overall film itself. It is no secret that the LGBTQ+ community is persecuted everywhere, and you can only imagine what that looks like in a traditional, patriarchal society such as Turkey. Yet the film is able to transcend the victimhood of the community and highlight the strength, beauty, and humanity therein. In the process, Lia and Achi face their own prejudices and shortcomings, learning from everyone they meet along the way. They evolve in front of our eyes.

The streets of Istanbul come alive in this striking film, and the cinematography is a highlight of the filmmaking. The writing, acting, and directing take center stage however, and we get swept up in the journey along with Lia and Achi—we root for them, hurt with them, and hope with them as we discover with them. One of the many wonders of cinema is how we are transported to worlds which we may never visit. This is one of those films—a gem that teaches, enlightens, and invigorates. Please give it the time and attention it deserves; you will not be disappointed.

Opens at the Sie Film Center on 8/16.

The Teacher’s Lounge (2023)

Nominated for Best International Feature at the Oscars, this realist gem is from writer-director Ilker Çatak, a German-Turkish director about whom we shall be hearing quite a bit in the coming years. The story follows young German schoolteacher Carla Nowak (brilliantly played by Leonie Benesch) who stirs up a hornet’s nest of contemporary issues when one of her students is accused of theft. As she tries to get to the bottom of it, she confronts a Byzantine network of administrative, parental, and even student-centered resistance and opposition. She fights, but at what cost?

The Teacher’s Lounge

The film is tense and unrelenting from start to finish. Benesch finds a range of emotional and situational acting that is dazzling and even alarming at times—she is so subsumed by the role that at times we wonder where the part ends and the actor begins. We take her side early on, but then we wonder about her actions at times: Is she going too far? Who pays the price for her actions? When is a good deed unnecessary? How could one navigate such a quagmire any better? If all of these questions sound familiar, they are the same questions most parents have about their schools and school systems. It is honest, brutal, and uncomfortable.

The style of the film fits the substance perfectly: the camera follows Carla from room to room, from classroom to classroom, from office to office. There is no pretense in the stylistic choices until a brief moment where we become as unsure about the proceedings as our protagonist. This small injection of magic realism serves to heighten the actual realism and forces us to consider our own predispositions. If I’m being a bit cagey about plot and story, that is on purpose. This is one of those films that has to be seen and experienced rather than just being described.

The writing is sharp, the directing is more than capable, and the acting is superb. Beyond Benesch, all of the secondary characters are excellent, and the real-life kids (non-professional actors) who play the students are brilliant. The film has a lot to say about multicultural societies, the sometimes (too) rigid school systems we have created, and the entire project of education. Should teachers step back and just teach? Should we teachers care so deeply about the personal lives of our students and colleagues? What is the cost of doing the right thing? See it, answer these questions, and then discuss with friends. This is an important and illuminating film.

Available for rent on most streaming outlets.

Vincent Piturro, PhD, is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at MSU Denver. Contact him directly at vpiturro@msudenver.com or follow him on Twitter. For more reviews, search The Indie Prof at FrontPorchNE.com.