Review of Soul Kitchen (2009) by Mikael K — 01 Jun 2013

Fatih Akin has directed one excellent film after another throughout his career. Most of his tales are realistic tragedies with a keen sense of character writing and crudely beautiful aesthetics combined with fast-paced storytelling. With "Soul Kitchen" the director takes a lighter tone and offers a comedy about Zinos, a man with an explosive character who runs a restaurant for Turkish immigrants in Hamburg. Food and feeling form a colorful story of self-discovery.

Akin fills his canvas layer after layer; warm hues of comedy form beautiful patterns with the harsh grey tones of realism. "Soul Kitchen" is not so different from his accomplished tragedies after all.

Sadly, we haven't seen a new fiction feature from Akin after "Soul Kitchen". Its deliciously varied aromas certainly make me feel famished for more.