His pupils play him up no end; he never gets served in trendy bars and even his doped up neighbour has more of a social life than he does. It’s hard to imagine anybody more straight-laced, uptight or uncool than the young trainee teacher, Daniel, with his unfashionable trousers and his ‘sports casual’ polo shirt. The whole town it seems is busy making holiday plans for the summer but lonely Daniel doesn’t have a clue what to do. But no sooner does he fall hopelessly in love with the beautiful Melek than he decides to follow her to Istanbul – and leave his straight-laced lifestyle behind.
Accompanied by the wacky jewellery salesgirl, Juli, who has long had a secret passion for Daniel, he sets off on the long journey from Hamburg to Turkey. His wild odyssey through south eastern Europe becomes a journey into a new way of life for Daniel. Beaten up, seduced and mugged, on drugs for the first time in his life and, to cap it all, thrown into the jail by Turkish border guards, Daniel learns to fight for what he wants out of life. This is a completely new Daniel, a different person, full of energy and bursting to get out there and live life to the full. What has brought about this remarkable change? Is it because he’s worried about missing his appointment with Melek in Istanbul? Or is it Juli’s influence, who he is clearly beginning to like more and more? Daniel learns that there’s more to life than dull physical equations, namely, the eternal rules of love. –Berlinale
Fatih Akin was born in 1973 in Hamburg of Turkish parentage. He began studying Visual Communications at Hamburg’s College of Fine Arts in 1994. His collaboration with Wüste Film also dates from this time. In 1995, he wrote and directed his first short feature, Sensin – You’re The One! (Sensin – Du Bist Es!), which received the Audience Award at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival. His second short film, Weed (Getuerkt, 1996), received several national and international festival prizes. His first full length feature film, Short Sharp Shock (Kurz Und Schmerzlos, 1998) won the Bronze Leopard at Locarno and the Bavarian Film Award (Best Young Director) in 1998. His other films include: In July (Im Juli, 2000), Wir Haben Vergessen Zurueckzukehren (2001), Solino (2002), the Berlinale Golden Bear-winner and winner of the German and European Film Awards Head-On (Gegen Die Wand, 2003), and Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul (2005). —World Cinema Foundation read more
Controversial German-Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin (“Short Sharp Shock”) followed the critical success of his debut feature with this cute rom-com which won the Audience Award at the Tromsø International… read review
