Review of Soul Kitchen

This is an example of an emerging genre in film, in which the characters act as if they are completely uprooted from any normal or traditional behavioural or psychological frameworks (lots of shouting and hysterical goings on, apparently unmotivated behaviour, casual and meaningless sex and violence, and the like), yet there is, strangely enough, a structure and a harmony that emerges at the end. It's almost like a comic book whose heroes have steroid pumped muscles, chiselled faces, speak in and represent clichés of good and evil, yet it makes sense. There is no moralising here in this tale of an uneducated Greek restaurant (more of a greasy spoon, at the beginning) owner in Hamburg, one of the toughest and grittiest of German cities, which is used quite effectively as a backdrop that highlights the somewhat confused and direction-less behaviour of the protagonists. The contrasts are numerous and almost clichéd: his brother is an unsuccessful thief, he is improbably in love with an aristocratic journalist who leaves him to his fate while she goes on assignment in China, he has a non rent paying old Greek fisherman tenant in his wharf side restaurant, a would be artist waitress, a world class blues-soul band who uses his restaurant in which to practice yet can't find a gig. You get the idea. In the middle of this apparent chaos, a few human feelings slowly emerge, between the brothers, between the waitress and the thief, between the Greek and his Turkish masseuse, even, after they break up, between the Greek and his ex, who does the decent thing and lends a large sum to the Greek so he can restart his life. Everything works out. So what is the message? I suppose that genuine and positive emotions triumph over social divisions and over chaos, whether caused by race or class. What is important is the dexterity with which this simple theme is communicated, without pathos or angst: the world is just what it is - ridiculous, venal and stupid, and sometimes going with the flow and acting out is what saves us. The script is almost ridiculous, but works well in the hands of director Faith Akin (himself a Turk living in Germany, while the Greek character is in fact a real Greek (and the scriptwriter) who also lives in Germany). Akin allows the humour to emerge naturally, without forcing it by the use of slapstick or stereotypes. It starts slow (I think this may be deliberate), and might even irritate at first as the chaos gets installed as the backdrop for the human story. It drags a bit, so one wonders what the hell is going on and when will the "real" action start. But the many unconnected threads are slowly brought together in a charming ending. Definitely worth the rental.