In Crossing, director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced) returns with another deeply human tale, this time unfolding across borders — both physical and emotional. The story follows Lia, an elderly retired teacher from Georgia, who travels to Istanbul with her niece to search for her estranged transgender sister. What begins as a search for someone lost becomes a journey of recognition, acceptance, and reconciliation.

The film delicately navigates themes of gender, family, displacement, and cultural collision, crafting a story that feels both intimate and politically urgent. The Istanbul of Crossing is not merely a backdrop but a layered, living space — chaotic yet full of quiet tenderness. In the hands of Akin, the camera lingers patiently, allowing the characters’ emotional landscapes to slowly emerge.

Lia’s transformation from stoic conservatism to something more open and compassionate is drawn with nuance and restraint. The performances, especially by Mzia Arabuli as Lia, are quietly affecting, grounding the narrative in emotional truth rather than melodrama. The film never simplifies the cultural tensions it portrays, nor does it offer didactic resolutions.

Instead, Crossing works like a mosaic — fragile, fragmented, and unexpectedly beautiful. It’s a meditation on belonging in a world where identities cross borders more freely than people. And in that crossing, Akin asks us to consider what we are willing to see, to understand, and ultimately, to embrace.