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Birol ??nel, Sibel Kekilli, Catrin Striebeck, Given Kirac, Meltem Cumbul ... see more see more... , Cem Akin , Aysel Iscan , Demir Gokgol , Stefan Gebelhoff , Hermann Lause , Adam Bousdoukos , Ralph Misske , Mehmet Kurtulus , Güven Kiraç

German-born Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin writes and directs the drama Gegen die Wand (Head-On). Set in a working-class Hamburg neighborhood, the story follows two Turkish immigrants who get together i... read more read more...n a marriage of convenience. Cahit Tomruk (Birol Ünel) is a heavy drinker and a fighter who crashes his car into a wall. While visiting his psychiatrist, Dr. Schiller (Hermann Lause), he meets fellow patient Sibel Guner (Sibel Kekilli). She's desperate to get away from her restrictive family, so she asks Cahit to marry her. Wanting to change his life anyway, Cahit agrees to the arrangement. After their wedding, Sibel celebrates her freedom by drinking, dancing, and having one-night stands. Meanwhile, Cahit carries on an intimate relationship with hair stylist Maren (Catrin Striebeck). Eventually, Cahit and Sibel learn to care for one another after a climactic trip to Istanbul. Head-On won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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90% liked it

82 critics

R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Fatih Akin

Release Date: January 21, 2005

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DVD Release Date: September 13, 2005

Stats: 921 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (921)

  • brooklynspo
    June 15, 2008
    brooklynspo
    saw it
  • 5oclockcoffee
    February 8, 2012
    5oclockcoffee
    Some people choose the hardest way to live/change.


    "If you want to end your life, end it. You don't have to kill yourself to do that."




  • fb100002359227440
    May 7, 2011
    fb100002359227440
    Ganhador do Urso de Ouro no Festival de Berlim, o longa nos apresenta a história de dois imigrantes que tentam se entender em um mundo que ninquà (C)m os entende. Uma fuga para farsa, que aos poucos um novo sentido à  vida de ambos.
  • ebs90
    November 24, 2010
    ebs90
    Can't believe I hadn't written about Gegen Die Wand yet!!! I'm pretty sure it's one of my recent discoveries that I most love and I count it among my favorite films.

    Fatih Akin's film is about a self-destructive Turkish man and a self-destructive Turkish woman in Germany, who... read morese paths meet and who decide to marry out of convenience, only to discover -with tragic consequences- that they helplessly need each other from then on. It's fascinating to observe how the dynamic inside their dubious marriage changes as they begin to know each other more and more, and how they struggle to be flexible and accept the turn that their lives have taken. Akin takes both characters, Cahit and Sibel, from one extreme to the other of the emotional scale; both of them set out as moody, impulsive, self-deprecating, and unstable, only reaching their balance point when they are together. They are troubled, suffer from multiple addictions, and reluctant to accept responsibilities or sacrifice themselves too much. Theirs is a relationship in which the first they ever saw of each other was their worst side, and one that evolves towards discovering the best. They both teach each other things they would've never learned otherwise, and the film ends accordingly: not romantically, not ideally, not tragically, but exactly the way it should.

    I love the way the film is written and made. This story could have easily been corny if not told properly, or, on the other hand, too dark for its own good. Akin's take is refreshingly real, straying away from sentimentalism or naturallism. The film is also shot beautifully and it's full of gorgeous Turkish music (as well as new/no wave).

    At the core of the film, and above all else, are Birol Unel and Sibel Kekili's soulful performances. Both are completely absorbed by their characters and both manage to enhace their beauty (which, sometimes, is hard to believe that may even be there at all) as in making them relatable, if not comprehensible. Birol Unel is... in my opinion... captivating.

    In few words, Gegen die Wand is a great movie and it can be appreciated for the quality of the performances and the direction, but it resonates with me very much and that is the main reason why I feel so drawn to it and why I recommend it. I think it's very honest, raw, and yet not a disgusting or depressing film. Despite all the tragedies that may occur to them, the characters are survivors and are left with the memory of a life-changing experience that one could only wish to have. It speaks about how fast the world turns and how uncertain life is, how you can find things where and when you least expect it. And it talks about how people can change. Deep, yes, but not tiresome (on the contrary!) and not preachy. Wonderful.
  • bookmunki
    October 17, 2010
    bookmunki
    Paths of self-destruction and despair collide and traverse winding roads to affirmation. Faith Akin immerses this familiar plot in Turkish-German culture, avoiding pretension, melodrama and cliche to reveal achingly honest and human characters.
  • rubystevens
    February 13, 2009
    rubystevens
    a marriage of convenience evolves into punk rock romance. great film with alot of attitude, set in the turkish community in hamburg. i enjoyed the interludes of traditional turkish music, a nice juxtaposition with the non-traditional characters. once again, it's generally not ... read morea good idea to hook up with someone you met in rehab :P
  • arashxak
    September 30, 2008
    arashxak
    Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival, This is not just another typical immigrant drama, Impressive with good perfs
  • Redlats
    March 3, 2008
    Redlats
    A movie about strict Muslim values and love. Cahit and Sibel first marry for convenience, but eventually start to care for each other which is severely tested when Cahit is sent to jail.
  • drago25
    March 30, 2007
    drago25
    Part of my post-war German film course. This is a tragic and totally raw film about Sibel, a young Turkish woman living in Germany and the man, Cahit, she chooses to "pretend marry" in order to appease her devoutly Turkish family so she can freely live her desired life of abundan... read moret sexuality (with many men) and partying. It becomes a love story when the two, inevitably, fall in love. I loved pretty much everything about this film. I appreciated the richness of the characters. The soundtrack was awesome and enhanced the film a lot. The cinematography and editing were totally neat and brilliantly done; the technique was used, for example, of hearing the first couple seconds of each scene before it actually appears, and this gave the film a continuous, unrippled flow despite the vivacity of the shots. The writing was swell, and the acting was great - major kudos to Sibel Kekilli (Sibel) and Birol Ünel (Cahit), their performances were both stellar. Birol Ünel has to be one of the coolest motherfuckers on the planet, as well.

    The film comes off as totally authentic, and deals with a lot of serious issues, such as suicide, alcholism/drug addiction, the role of family, fidelity. And all of this was dealt with more than adequately by Fatih Akin's intelligent filmmaking, making great use of parallelism and symbolism and other thematic techniques that really presents us with something to think about. Its just totally realistic, and sensual, and funny, and at times, beautiful. This is a wonderful film, and if you get the chance - see it!
  • ironclad1609
    December 1, 2006
    ironclad1609
    Sibel, a turkish girl living in Germany marries Cahit to get rid of the controling bonds her family has on her. This wouldn't be a German drama film if what starts out rather amusing wouldn't soon go down the drain, including manslaughter, rape and drugs. Thankfully, the movie is... read more not without hope in all its sadness and is very well acted.

View All Head-On (Gegen die Wand) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
July 1, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Akin makes this a most intriguing, if roundabout, journey from despair to 'do something.' Full Review

Geoff Pevere
June 17, 2005
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

The power of Akin's film, which is considerably aided by the two lead performances ... comes from the spectacle of people developing feelings for each other even through numbing layers of mutual narci... Full Review

Rick Groen
June 17, 2005
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Violent and sexy and funny and sad. Full Review

Terry Lawson
April 15, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

By the time the film concludes, you will likely feel better for having gone the distance, for having faced all this head-on. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
April 14, 2005
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

This is a gritty drama about self-destruction. On a basic level, its title refers to an early scene in which a man floors his car and plows into a brick wall. In a more general sense, it reflects the ... Full Review

Roger Ebert
April 8, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

... Well and fearlessly acted, and the writer-director (Fatih Akin) is determined to follow her story to a logical and believable conclusion, rather than letting everyone off the hook with a conventio... Full Review

Michael Wilmington
April 7, 2005
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

It's an arresting new work by an obviously gifted and commanding moviemaker. Full Review

Anthony Lane
April 2, 2005
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

This is not just pliable filmmaking; it is an exercise in worldliness, in a feel for the cracks and warps of circumstance, which is all the more startling when you learn that the director is thirty-one.

Stephanie Zacharek
April 2, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Head On understands the tension between wanting to have nothing to do with the place from which you came and yet still, deep in your heart, somehow yearning for it. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
April 1, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

The movie starts with a mild contrivance and then allows life to tear through its seams, sabotaging its characters and us.

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