Akin’s exuberant documentary is a work of real cultural value, capturing the vibrant if ‘unclassifiable’ Turkish underground and street music scene with an inquisitive spirit.
Review #2,850
Dir. Fatih Akin
2005 | Turkey, Germany | Documentary, Music | 90 min | 1.85:1 | Turkish, German, Kurdish & English
PG (passed clean)
Cast: –
Plot: German musician Alexander Hacke explores Istanbul’s rich music culture and attempts to create a portrait of Turkey through music genres. On this journey, he encounters a mosaic that covers countless genres from rock to arabesque, electronic to hip-hop.
Awards: Official Selection (Cannes)
International Sales: The Match Factory
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Light – Istanbul Music Scene; Musicians; Traditional vs. Modern Music
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Normal
Audience Type: Niche Mainstream
Viewed: MUBI
Spoilers: No
An early work by Fatih Akin during his ‘prime’ 2000s phase, the German-Turkish filmmaker followed up the critical success of Head-On (2004) with this exuberant first documentary feature.
A work of real cultural value and a wonderful time capsule, Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul shows us the underground and street music scene in the heart of Turkey by planting Alexander Hacke (a veteran of the German experimental music group Einstürzende Neubauten who also contributed music to Head-On) as a foreign explorer attempting to record the melodious sounds of the city.
Notice that the singular ‘Sound’ rather than ‘Sounds’ was used in the movie title, suggesting a unified auralscape.
While that may not be true as Istanbul is home to numerous musical groups and styles, what Akin perhaps wanted to allude to was the ‘unclassifiable-ness’ of it—a sound that transcends peoples, cultures, spaces and time; a sound that permeates both inward (as a soul-cleanser) and outward (as a connection of souls); and a sound that is not disparate, chaotic and out of reach.
“Music can tell you everything about a place.”
As a crucial bridge between Asia and Europe, Türkiye brings its rich musical culture (musicians of the oud and saz are prominently featured here) but it is the youth that gives a modern, ‘global’ sheen to the experimental scene with their creative forays into rock, hip-hop and rap.
Whether traditional or new, Hacke and Akin capture them all with an inquisitive spirit, including a segment that gives voice to the once-ostracised Kurdish music.
Look out for two sublime renditions of classic Turkish songs towards the end of the film, played out live on camera in their entirety. While Crossing the Bridge may at times feel transitory in a ‘touch-and-go’ way, there is enough to enthral not just music aficionados but viewers with a keen interest in cultural phenomena.
Grade: B+
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 