The Edge of Heaven Critique - Essay Example

Various characters and their performance make use of actions and words that surprise the viewer as the film progresses. An example in this regard is the decision made by Ali regarding a prostitute. Although the viewer expects that Ali being a sensible person will not indulge in a relationship with a prostitute; the film yet portrays the opposite and he brings her home. This is not to the expectations of a viewer, so the film surprises the viewer. Interestingly, the same prostitute then gets killed by Ali. Here again, the story takes a twist that is least expected by the viewer; so the viewer is again surprised. This does not stop here; later Ali is sent to jail and at this point, Ali becomes a character of secondary importance, while new characters like Ali’s son and the prostitute’s daughter enter the movie.

In addition to using surprise as the driving force of attention of viewers, the movie utilizes yet another technique i.e. the use of coincidences. Although this technique is often utilized in many movies, the use of this technique in this movie is unique since coincidences in this movie rarely end in positive outcomes. The viewers experience one coincidence after the other; every time expecting to get to a happy outcome; but the theme of the movie proves otherwise.

Although the movie takes into account two different cultures to allow the story to progress, the writer has successfully omitted the religious and cultural aspects to make possible a smooth progression of the story. Apart from the slide shades of cultural differences that were inevitable, the movie does not promote cultural and religious differences as the main themes. This is perhaps one of the main reasons for the success of this movie on a worldwide scale.

Interesting to note is the presentation of human life as a function of destiny. At many points in the story, the viewer is convinced about fate is the determining factor of major outcomes. An example is the beating that the prostitute endures. Although Ali is not willing to kill her; yet she dies. Moreover, although Ali brings her to home to prevent her from her enemies or the evils of society; she becomes the cause of trouble for him since he ends up in jail after she gets killed. The writer of the story is perhaps a strong believer in destiny and aims to convey the message of being dependent upon destiny, which in my understanding is not a suitable approach.