Soul Kitchen: it’s hot in here.

This is a film about hurting – yet it’s a comedy. It’s funny and sexy. And painful. All great comedies are about desire. They have a main character that you can sympathize with who wants something not too great (or you wouldn’t care about them) and you watch him or her fail and suffer from just reaching.

Young restaurant owner Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos) decides to revamp Soul Kitchen, his dumpy diner, but the customer response isn’t what he was hoping for. To make matters worse, his sexy girlfriend (Anna Bederke) flies off to Shanghai, and the tax collector comes knocking. But with the help of an inspired and demented new chef (Birol Ünel), Zinos still has a chance at redemption. German director Fatih Akin serves us a beautiful comedy.

There’s a scene in Soul Kitchen that has one of best screen hug moments ever (male or female). This isn’t a hugging movie. A very small moment in the movie but it show the director’s whole simple message: we are all humans and we can love. Even if we make all the wrong choices. It’s not the choices you make it’s who you are.

But this isn’t a hugging movie. It has a great soundtrack with stunning visuals, cops and knife throwing, and lots of flesh. Sort of a guys date movie.

Germany, 2009