Gegen die Wand (2004)
Genre: Drama / Romance
Duration: 121 minuten
Alternative title: Head-On
Country:
Germany / Turkey
Directed by: Fatih Akin
Stars: Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli and Catrin Striebeck
IMDb score:
7,8 (60.969)
Releasedate: 11 March 2004
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Gegen die Wand plot
"Do you know that you can end your life without committing suicide?" whispers a doctor in the ear of 40-year-old Cahit. Cahit is recovering from a suicide attempt at a special hospital, and he knows exactly what the doctor means. Even now, he longs to smother his anger with drugs and alcohol. Sibel is a twenty-year-old beauty, and just like Cahit, also Turkish. She is also in the clinic because she tried to escape the prison that her parents built around her. She only manages to escape her parents by marrying Cahit. In the end, Cahit agrees, caring about her desolate fate. After their discharge from the hospital, they move into an apartment together and a special friendship develops between the two.
Actors and actresses
Cahit Tomruk
Maren
Seref
Selma
Nico
Yunus Güner
Yilmaz Güner
Birsen Güner
Mann am Tresen
Stammkundin Zoe Bar
Reviews & comments
Baboesjka
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- 891 messages
- 1994 votes
Very good movie. It immediately caught my interest. I was taken into the world of Cahit and Sibel. It's nice how the bond between them grows stronger, grows and flourishes. This movie contains so many emotions and the actors convey them very well. I like how the film goes through different phases and you experience the development of the characters. The music didn't bother me. I think it has something. Yes, I have another favorite movie! 4.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
-
- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Fatih Akin I must gradually write down. With this Gegen die Wand once again delivered a top film. Gegen die Wand was awarded at the time at the Berlin Film Festival and lives up to its reputation. The common thread in the story is love or at least the search for it. But whoever expects romanticized love comes home from a bare journey. Gegen die Wand falls more into the corner of raw drama where things sometimes go off track.
The two main characters Cahit and Sibel get to know each other in the not so obvious place as the hospital where they both recover from a suicide attempt. Both find each other, but the contacts are very rough. Cahit is petulant and even violent. Sibel will do anything to escape the controlling yoke of her family. Love does not come naturally, but the couple slowly grows closer. No corny moments, but real and with the necessary hitches. Very strong acting by Birol Ünel and Sibel Kekilli, a former porn star. The orchestra in between seems bizarre, but reinforces the emotions that hang over the couple and the film. It is an internal struggle, but also evolves into a struggle across generations and cultures. Akin creates a balanced symbiosis with his excellent cinematography and editing.
It has become a bitter film with a strong ending as well. Because life just goes on. Life is what you make of it. Raw and authentic print, one to think about. Beautiful!
Translated from Dutch · View original
AnyaH
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- 449 messages
- 371 votes
Raw and pitch-black drama film about the rotten life of Cahit and Sibel. Cinematography is often dark and murky, Cahit's neglected apartment, the interior of the bars, the street... Cahit and Sibel meet in the clinic. She sees in him her 'saving angel', but only abuses him to get rid of her strict parents. Cahit looks like a bum at first, but Sibel has a positive influence on him. Ultimately, the relationship deepens in a special way. There is also some humor in the film from time to time. The Turkish band in between is indeed a distraction and had no added value for me. Although I have no affinity with 'substance abuse', I could sympathize with their grief and despair. Birol Ünel gave a masterful rendition of the role of Cahit. The ending was sad and dramatic, but fitting with the rest of the film......
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