Director Faith Akin is ahead of his time in his 2000 film Im Juli in that he successfully portrays the ideals of a cosmopolitan Europe before the European Union was in existence. His dramatic film captures the essence of cosmopolitanism and transnationalism and raises questions of Heimat and belongingness through the love story of straightedge Daniel and free-spirited Juli. A Turkish-German himself, Akin transcends the cultural boundaries he is all too familiar with in this film and projects an idealistic, sometimes fantastical notion of a borderless Europe and a common humanity. Daniel and Juli's journey to "The Exotic South" takes them across numerous cultures, borders, languages and experiences, and encourages the viewer to adapt their perspective on the world surrounding them. Daniel and Juli's decision to stay in Turkey at the end of the film raises the idea of Heimat fluidity and whether a Heimat can change, a question a transnational director such as Akin has most likely faced himself.The fact that Im Juli was released before the installment of the European Union and Euro is not one to be taken lightly. The culture shocks experienced by Daniel as well as the border issues they face attempting to cut across Eastern Europe evoke the question of how the European Union today has – or, controversially, hasn't – facilitated cooperation and understanding between Europeans. Many of the issues Daniel faces are still relevant today – notably, the borders of Bulgaria and Romania, which currently still exist in a "Twilight Zone" between joining the Schengen tradition of border freedom and the strict (or perhaps not strict) border control we see in many scenes.Akin's film not only sticks to a German idea of Epic Theatre as opposed to traditional Aristotelian drama, but in fact almost satirizes the latter. While from the start of the film it may appear evocative of dramatic theatre – a short, dramatic timeline, a goal of reaching Istanbul by Friday, et cetera – by the end it quickly corrects itself. When Daniel says to continue south on their adventure rather than go back to Hamburg, he – and the viewer – learn that the journey was the destination the whole time, with eyes on the course rather than the destination. We also see that our main character is able to be changed, something unique to epic theatre – Daniel starts the movie as a rigid and rather boring man, yet at the end we see that he has become both adventurous and willing to gather new experiences, almost becoming, in many respects, similar to Juli. All in all, Akin's film is commendable for it's usage of cosmopolitanism in a time where the idea was still foreign. His usage of Brecht's epic theatre fosters a unique film in which Daniel's journey with Juli ends up being the real ending point he needed.

What I found special about the "Im Juli" is that, although the story feels like a fantasy, the characters are very warm and real. All those meetings and coincidences looked a little unbelievable first time, but now I think everything makes sense if we see the story as an allegory…meaningful but at the same time light and funny.The playfulness of the script might perhaps make some miss the message of the movie, but the message actually is there and is a strong one. As I see it, "Im Juli" is a story about hope and about finding life and happiness. Searching for the one meant for you in furthest places to realise that what you've been searching for was right next to you all along.I liked the idea of the first part of the movie being a flashback until we get back to the sun eclipse we had seen at the beginning. After the sun comes out again it looks like dark gets out of Daniel's mind and the sun shows him the right way this time: that Juli was the one he had been searching all along. The whole journey changes Daniel incredibly much as with her sun amulet, Juli learns him to do the same as her: trust faith and go on searching for happiness. The ending was really perfect: all the 4 characters' roads coming together and Daniel finally seeing the ultimate proof that he had found what he was looking for.What I enjoyed about the movie is that although the message is a serious one, the story is so light and everything goes on really fast and surprising. The whole journey through so many different countries and passing beside so many different people and cultures was really interesting and refreshing, as were all the characters in the movie. All the actors, playing the Turkish guy, Luna or the officer at the Romanian border, looked they were really enjoying their roles and brought most of the movie's humour: great, subtle and nothing Hollywood like.All in all, I thought it was a really enjoyable movie, so different from the usual productions we get from Hollywood. Really a movie you shouldn't miss!

This was a sweet comedy that provided lots of entertainment with only a few wrong turns. First the wrong turns. I wasn't exactly thrilled by the notion that the overly controlled school teacher needed to loosen up by smoking some pot. Also, it seemed relatively easy to determine WHO the main character would fall in love with in the end of the film after only shortly after the movie began. HOWEVER, despite these minor problems, I really liked this film. The acting and pacing were excellent and although you had a strong idea where the movie would end, the actually journey there took a lot of surprising twists and turns. The end result is an excellent "chick flick" that will please both men and women alike.

To me kitsch in movies is more than a question of bad taste. Kitsch is emotional in the worst possible way: it reconciles with things which should cause anger. If kitsch occurs in a movie without a huge disclaimer saying "hello, I know this is kitsch" it easily spoils the whole thing for me. "Im Juli" often crosses the line to kitsch and it reconciles people with their lives - 'it makes you leaving the cinema with a smile on your lips', that is what I heard (and read here) many times. And it did that to me as well, what a terrible thing to happen! So, if you are in need of some reconciliation with the world or whatever it is you are living in dis-concord with, give this a try (success not guaranteed however).