Everything in life has a cost, however, the price tag is not always visible to the naked eye. As the audience observes in Levan Akin’s mesmerizing drama Crossing, sometimes it takes years, especially regarding the decisions we make, before one realizes the full extent of the expenditure paid.
For Lia (Mzia Arabuli), a retired history teacher, the heavy price is written all over her stern and weary face. She may be praised by others for her regal demeanour, but years of regret and loneliness are weighing her down. Lia may not realize it at first, but she is a woman trapped between two worlds. She scoffs at the clothing modern young women wear, preferring the teachings of her conservative upbringing, but it is this closemindedness of the old ways that has sent her down the path she now finds herself own.
When the audience first meets Lia she is waking down the road, outside the house of a former pupil, in search of her estranged transgendered niece Tekla. Promisi ng Tekla’s dying mother that she would bring her home, finding her will be a difficult task as Lia has not seen her since the young woman was disavowed by her parents. Traveling to her niece’s last known address, she learns from her former student’s younger brother Achi (Lucas Kankava) that Tekla has relocated to Istanbul, Turkey. Claiming to have Tekla’s new address, and desperate to leave their small Georgian town for better job prospects in the city, Achi offers to accompany Lia as her personal translator.
Initially reluctant to have this young man, who seems to have no goals outside of hustling his way through life, tagging along, Lia agrees to form a partnership based on a strict set of rules. As the unlikely duo attempt to navigate a foreign landscape, limited funds, and each other, Lia’s resolve to locate her niece takes the pair into the heart of the trans sex work community. Unbeknownst to the Georgian duo, the one person who might help them the most has been crossing paths with them from the minute they hopped on the ferry to Turkey.
Using a great tracking shot to slyly highlight several key supporting characters in the film, Akin introduces the audience to Evrim (Deniz Dumanli), a former trans sex worker turned lawyer in training. Working for a not-for-profit organization, Evrim advocates for trans members of the community facing unjust evictions and orphan children who find themselves in trouble with the law. Despite exuding confidence and having close friendships within the community, her seemingly steely armor is frequently punctured by those, be it doctors or cops, who have dismissive assumptions about trans people in general.
As if having to routinely prove her worth to others was not demoralizing enough, her current boyfriend is reluctant to be seen in public with her. While an encounter with a taxi driver might offer an unexpected glimmer of romantic hope, there is a sense of loneliness that hovers over her throughout her day. It is this same personal storm cloud that follows Lia and Achi as well.
All three, in their own unique ways, are searching for meaningful connections that are free from the judgment of society.
Frequently playing with the audiences’ assumptions, Crossing asks viewers to dig beyond the surface and embrace the humanity in others. In immersing Lia in a sea of trans faces, Akin emphasizes the tragic loss of time and connection that resulted from Tekla’s banishment. Lia’s longing gazes at each woman she encounters, as if both searching for Telka’s features behind each eyelash and envisioning what might have been, is a painful reminder of the steep costs of an intolerant society.
While Mzia Arabuli’s brilliant performance amplifies a sense of remorse, it is Lucas Kankava and Deniz Dumanli who provide the film with its inclusive heart. Together they allow Akin’s film to float on a river of emotions without ever losing its authenticity. Regardless of whether characters are placed in an embarrassing situation or are engaging in a bonding moment of dance, Crossing shows them compassion and love.
Although there is a section in the final act that flirts with going the conventional route, nearly driving the film off the cliff in the process, Akin resists temptation. A beautifully moving piece of cinema, Crossing embraces the vital connections that leading with love, and not intolerance, can bring. The cost of not being accepting to others is too high for anyone to pay.
