German-born Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin has made a rapid climb up the ladder of cinema success: three major award wins in six short years including "Head On" (2004) and the dark, soulful "Edge of Heaven" (2007). Issues of immigration, ethnic diversity and the conflicts that rise from Eastern tradition vs. Western assimilation are the pillars of his stories — and though the viewer will walk away spiritually sated and completely impressed, Akin's is not the sort of fare to invite laughter.
Which is why "Soul Kitchen" comes as somewhat of a jolt. Here we were, expecting anguished tears and heavy philosophizing on the plight of the human condition. Instead, we got a Turkish guy with permanently bad hair trying to lift a fridge and slipping a disc.
"Soul Kitchen" was released abroad in 2009 — and perhaps because of its major departure from Akin's usual turf, it didn't get the praise or attention (though well deserved) of its predecessors. According to the production notes, it was conceived in a moment of lightheartedness, when Akin realized that "life is not only about pain and introspection." The feeling here is that he should have such lapses more often.