Visiting Istanbul, you’ll be able to’t assist however discover the entire cats: The Turkish capital is swarming with strays, some beautiful and pleasant, others haggard and extra stand-offish. Whole movies have been made in regards to the phenomenon (of which “Kedi” was an particularly common instance). However what of the numerous different souls — the human ones — who additionally dwell on the margins of this contemporary metropolis? They too are invisible till seen. However should you look carefully, it turns into unattainable to unsee the homeless kids and road sellers, intercourse employees and immigrants, lots of them struggling to outlive.

With “Crossing,” writer-director Levan Akin needs to open our eyes to this phenomenon. After incomes worldwide acclaim with Cannes-selected queer drama “And Then We Danced,” Akin makes a calculated alternative to lift consciousness of the trans group in Istanbul, however he does so by illustration slightly than manipulation. “Crossing” tells the partaking if considerably meandering story of an aged Georgian schoolteacher, Ms. Lia (Mzia Arabuli), dedicated to honoring her sister’s dying want that she discover her estranged daughter, Tekla (Tako Kurdovanidze).

The film informs audiences from the beginning that each Georgian and Turkish are gender-neutral languages. Starting her search within the Georgian metropolis of Batumi, Lia enlists a former pupil in her search. “She’s speaking about these trans ladies,” the man’s youthful brother, Achi (Lucas Kankava), butts in, and everybody abruptly appears embarrassed to have this element thrust into the open. Immediately, Akin reveals the cultural disgrace Lia’s coping with, establishing a secondary agenda to her mission: She’s decided to find Tekla, however she can be struggling to acknowledge and settle for her niece’s id.

“Crossing” unspools as a street journey — from Batumi to Istanbul — however the extra important journey for Lia is an inner one. Taking part in the character stern and proud, Arabuli takes no shortcuts to successful audiences over. Thankfully for Lia, Akin doesn’t require her to make it alone. Determined to flee Georgia himself, Achi claims to have the tackle of the place Tekla resides in Istanbul, thrusting himself on Lia as a translator and information. Very quickly, it turns into clear that he’s extra of a burden. Achi has no cash and speaks no Turkish, tagging alongside primarily as a result of he needs to flee Batumi himself.

Director Akin is of Georgian descent, however born in Sweden, and thru the character of Achi, he feedback on a youthful era again “house” pissed off by their restricted choices. In her 70s, Lia is sort of half a century older than this child, however she doesn’t match so neatly into the patriarchal system both. For starters, she by no means married, and although Lia lays down the regulation — no alcohol or narcotics — earlier than they set out, Achi calls out this hypocritical “outdated drunk” for sneaking sips of chacha (a home made Georgian liquor).

To succeed in their vacation spot, Lia and Achi should take a mixture of buses and ferries. Throughout one in every of these crossings, DP Lisabi Fridell — who shoots handheld all through — explores one in every of these giant boats in a protracted, steady shot, inviting audiences to think about, nevertheless briefly, the lives of those different nameless characters. The digicam settles on two scrawny orphans on the decrease deck, one strumming a guitar and singing to his “sister.” These are Izzet (Bünyamin Değer) and Gülpembe (Sema Sultan Elekci), who’re no extra associated than Lia and Achi, although audiences could be excused for assuming in any other case. Upstairs, smoking on the highest deck, is Evrim (Deniz Dumanl), a girl later revealed to be a lawyer and advocate for trans rights.

For now, however not for lengthy, these 5 characters are strangers. The film lags a bit as Lia’s investigation proceeds from one useless finish to a different, and Akin begins to separate his consideration between the assorted threads. In a way, this mixture of outsiders and refugees resemble Istanbul’s many stray cats (a good variety of which make lovable cameos all through). Akin appears to have a unique remark in thoughts: Although biologically unrelated, these folks join and cling to at least one one other like blood, forming ersatz households wherever they’ll.

Evrim meets a younger pupil (Ziya Sudançıkmaz) who drives a pirate taxi in his off hours. Whereas in search of work, Achi hits it off with a younger girl (Derya Günaydın) on the similar hostel. A fellow immigrant named Ramaz (Levan Gabrichidze) overhears Lia talking Georgian and treats them to dinner. And so forth. “Crossing” doesn’t wrap up the seek for Tekla as neatly as audiences may like, however makes use of it to take viewers down the identical streets the place trans folks collect in Istanbul, getting into the rooming homes — little greater than brothels, actually — that present some sense of group.

In comparison with “The Searchers” and its spawn (any movie the place a cowboy sort goes in search of a misplaced sheep), “Crossing” dares to query whether or not Tekla even needs to be discovered. In the meantime, in tender, understated methods, the film permits Lia to face her regrets. By one anecdote — a couple of Georgian man who “unintentionally” killed his personal trans baby — we come to acknowledge what Tekla was working from. Primarily inverting the John Ford method, Akin’s story means that Tekla’s relations may want saving greater than she does.