Levan Akin made a huge international splash with his gay-themed film, “And Then We Danced,” a few years ago and has now returned with an equally acclaimed follow-up. “Crossing” is a drama about Lia (Mzia Arabuli), a schoolteacher who has retired, but has promised that she will find her missing niece Tekla. When neighbor Achi (Lucas Kankava) suggests that Tekla might be in Turkey, the two of them travel together to find her. Along the way, they meet Evrim (Deniz Dumanli), a transgender lawyer fighting for equality.
Lia’s decision to go to Turkey is one that shakes and changes her life.
“When we see her first, she is walking by the water,” Akin said. “It seems like a western movie — she is on a mission. She is going to finish this mission and die basically. She will leave life, with nothing to live for. Throughout the film, we slowly peel off each layer of her until we get to know her better. And I think she gets to know herself again. It wakes her up.”
The director calls the character of Achi endearing and earnest. Achi and Lia form an unlikely bond as they search for Tekla.
“He is a kid who has a shit life and who wants to get out,” Akin said. “He sees this woman and says this is my life jacket. I think she understands. She has nothing to lose — she is looking for this girl and this kid is probably lying, but he can be helpful, so she will bring him along for a little bit. It starts off like this oddball/goofball couple type narrative and then develops into something else.”
The character of Lia is based on women in Akin’s own life, an amalgam of several people. Likewise, Evrim is based on individuals he met in Istanbul as he was doing research.
“I met so many people like Evrim, who are so resilient navigating this very patriarchal world against all odds but with such effervescence and positivity,” Akin said.
“And Then We Danced” made the industry take note of the director and changed his life.
“While I was making the film, the budget was extremely low,” Akin said. “We didn’t get a lot of support for it. No one really believed in it. It was the kind of film that had a lot of power to start a discourse, it sped things, it was like an injection of the existence of queer people in [the republic of] Georgia. When the film came out, it made me think cinema has the power to change.”
It’s vital for the filmmaker to have queer themes.
“It’s part of who I am,” he said. “I am very curious and have interest in people and stories. When I write these characters, I layer on them more and more and I am inspired by the actors who play these roles — a lot of times, [they’re] non-actors. For me, building a character doesn’t end with the script. It’s something I keep doing.”
Akin’s films also deal with self-acceptance and growth. He finds these themes to be universal.
“The notion of finding your place and space where you are not the norm, we have all felt that in our lives,” he said. “I have always felt outside of the norm, always tried to fit it. Now I am in a place of privilege where I can make these films.”
“Big Boys” is the feature debut of Corey Sherman, who also wrote and produced the film, now available on demand after a strong film festival run last year. In it, 14-year-old Jamie (played by Isaac Krasner) is discovering his attraction to bearish men. When he goes on a camping trip with his cousin Allie (Dora Madison), he finds himself attracted to Allie’s bearish new boyfriend Dan (David Johnson III).
It’s based on experiences Sherman had as a kid.
“I felt like I was not seen on screen very much,” Sherman said.
The characters he did see were often on the sidelines or not fleshed out and he felt like they deserved their own movie. So, for six months he wrote “Big Boys,” then worked with his team to make it.
He looked for a while for the lead and put out a wide casting call. Krasner’s audition was the first one he watched.
“It was very apparent from the beginning how much he understood the character and the sense of humor and how much passion he had for Jamie,” Sherman said. “It was an immediate feeling — it felt right.”
Krasner looks at Jamie as a lost kid, in many ways.
“He’s someone who likes to think he has it all figured out, because it is safe to stay in that head space,” Krasner said. “Like a lot of kids Jamie’s age, he has a lot to figure out. Dan is the person he is using to figure a lot of that out. In a lot of ways, he is just like everyone else, but with a different struggle.”
“Crossing” is now in area theaters and will be streaming on MUBI in August
“Big Boys” is now available on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Google, YouTube, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), DirecTV, and through local cable providers.
