Fatih Akin follows the excellent (but unreleased) Solino with this intense, yet frequently tender and witty, tale of a marriage of convenience that transforms the fortunes of boozing loser Birol Unel and rebellious spirit Sibel Kekilli.
The sequences in which he rediscovers himself in the glow of her lust for life are realised with a sensitivity to character that contrasts with the stereotypical prejudices of Kekilli's traditional family and Unel's seedy affair with hairdresser Catrin Striebeck. But having taken such care in establishing the relationship, Akin shatters it with an inevitable tragedy that unleashes a torrent of melodramatic occurrences, making the conclusion feel rushed and contrived. Nevertheless, Unel and the debuting Kekilli are as impressive as Akin's atmospheric snapshots of Hamburg and Istanbul.