In July (Im Juli) [2000]

In July is at complete odds with such deadly serious movies like Head-On and The Edge of Heaven that Fatih Akin is renowned for. The only commonality it has with his body of work is where capturing both German and Turkish diaspora and people goes; otherwise, the film seems something of an aberration. A light-hearted, whimsical and charming rom-com and a breezy road movie, it is filled with simple character sketches and idiosyncratic scenarios, is shot in resplendent colours, and is bereft of any socio-political commentary. A shy German teacher (Moritz Blebitreu), convinced that the pretty Turkish girl he has befriended by chance is the girl he’s destined to be with, plunges head long into an adventure road trip that doesn’t just require him to do stuff beyond his wildest imaginations, but also brings him closer to the girl who indirectly kick-started this odyssey of his. And this girl, a good-natured Bohemian lady who’s been holding a candle for him for long, also happens to be, through a stroke of coincidence, his partner in his crazy journey from Hamburg, across Europe, to Istanbul, silently wishing he realizes her feelings for him. Look out for an interesting cameo by the director as a corrupt Romanian border police.





Director: Fatih Akin
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Road Movie
Language: German
Country: Germany