Great Film overall

best movie i've ever seen.

Admirable film.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I personally thought the story telling on this movie had several different layers of interpretation, which I personally like. It was shown to me how deep the characters and story were written with much thought. I personally just don't come across that in many independent films. If the story is garbage, the movie is garbage, this is not the case in this film. One great example was when Sibel cut her hair, Sibel, a hairdresser, can not only cut her own hair, but it can be taken that she needs to do so to hide from her family, but also suggest the huge change in her character at that moment in the story. It was obvious, but it didn't pull away from the story, and the meaning wasn't served on a silver platter. This transition, I thought, was executed very well.When the viewer first meets Cahit, to me he is truly a beast. Shown visually in many different ways, some even humorous. And on the polar opposite, Sibel, the beauty, a young girl, who is able to use her youth and innocence to get what she wants. She is very much a child throughout the film, unaware of the consequences of her actions, and egocentric as well as needy, materialistic, and pretty. This movie is about them growing, and I don't think they could have changed unless they were in each others lives. However they meet in this world of dysfunction, and nothing about their relationship is healthy. This movie is not about becoming new people and getting a clean slate because of a relationship, this is not a Hollywood movie, where everyone finds a new meaning of love and enters the same relationship with a new hope that it will work this time around just because they have grown or matured or changed a behavior. Cahit and Sibel are very hurt and damaged people, and this movie suggests how hurt and damaged people enter and react to a new relationship. This movie is not about how people get damaged, but rather seeing how people live and deal when they are damaged. It does show the role of family of origin, tradition, society norms, but it does not place blame. For those who have been around self destructive people, I can only guess that you will find the characters' actions and reactions as realistic. The acting is superb in that sense. For example even Cahit's occupation choice promotes a realistic reaction to a damaged life. It was written, casted, acted, and captured with much thought and skill.Side note: I really enjoyed the scene of the interview process for the marriage. Notice the position of how Cahit and his uncle are trapped on that couch, being studied and seeking approval, and how they held onto those tiny small cups.

German screenwriter, producer and director F Akin's fourth feature film which he wrote and co-produced with producers Ralph Schwingel and Stefan Schubert, is the first part of a planned trilogy called "Love, death and the devil" which was succeeded by "The Edge of Heaven" (2007). It premiered In competition at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival in 2004, was shot on location in Istanbul, Turkey and Germany and is a Germany-Turkey co-production. It tells the story about Cahit Tomruk, a heartbroken and devastated man in his early forties who is slowly killing himself with alcohol and drugs, and Sibel Güner, a both suicidal and lively woman in her early twenties tormented by the guilt and shame that has been brought upon her by her family who sees her as a disgrace. After nearly driving himself to death, Cahit is sent to a psychiatric hospital in Hamburg, Germany where he meets Sibel who wants him to marry her so that she can get away from her family. Cahit is more bothered than interested in this young woman, but when he learns about her situation with her family he decides to help her out and marries her. Sibel moves in with Cahit and though leading separate lives, Sibel tries her utmost to gain Cahit's affection. Cahit acts unresponsive to everything Sibel does, but as time goes by Cahit has a change of heart that opens new doors for them.Distinctly and engagingly directed by European filmmaker F Akin, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the two main characters' viewpoints, draws an involving, violent and painfully beautiful portrayal of an unconventional and dangerously passionate relationship between a German man of Turkish descent whom is doing his utmost to detach himself from his origins and a German woman of Turkish descent whom is striving to get away from her family and for her independence. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, fine cinematography by Swiss cinematographer Rainer Klausmann and production design by production designer Tamo Kunz, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about cultural clash, grief, interpersonal relations, identity and love, depicts two intertwining and internal studies of character and contains a great score by German composer Alexander Hache and American musician Maceo Parker.This valiant, heartfelt and afflicting drama from the early 2000s which is set in Turkey and Germany and where a marriage creates a life-altering human connection, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, efficient continuity, use of music which emphasizes its poignant atmosphere and the unflinching and expressive acting performances by German actor of Turkish descent Birol Ünel and German actress of Turkish descent Sibel Kekilli in her debut feature film role. An emotionally excruciating and compassionately narrated love-story which gained, among several other awards, the Golden Bear and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 54th Berlin Film Festival in 2004, the award for Best European Film and the People's Choice Award for Best European Director at the 17th European Film Awards in 2004 and the NSFC Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th National Society of Film Critics Awards in 2006.

After a long time i have this type of movie, which didn't made me bore. the actress Sibel Kekilli has done a great job and justice to her character.Although i had difficulty to watch this movie due to language as i have to read subtitles of English, but i am glad i understand and enjoyed the movie.May be no one agree with me but if the end would be a different then i would have rated this movie 10, understand sh sacrifices her love/husband for her baby but still there can be a different end. overall the movie was fabulous and i enjoyed it a lot.Sibel Kekilli really got a great face and cute expressions and body, looking forward to watch her more movies.I also loved the dancing in this movie. Everyone has done a good job and made a perfect movie.

Though translated as Head-On, Gegen die Wand actually means Into the Wall. Title that would be much more appropriate, as it sums up the whole story. Faith Akin was the master of all this, and understanding his life you can relate a lot of information with the movie, as he was born in Hamburg, son of a Turkish family. Anyway, Gegen die Wand starts with Cahit Tomruk (Birol Ünel), from forgotten Turkish descent. He lives a miserable life in a hole of an apartment in Hamburg. He even tries suiciding, crashing his car in a wall but he survives. While in therapy, he meets Sibel (Sibel Kekilli). At first, she challenges him to marry her, explaining that would let her get rid of her family and would not imply any sort of physical intercourse between them both. Obviously that doesn't happen, as in American romance, both fall in love with each other, but the beauty in this film is that it's much more complicated, taken to its extreme. The most interesting of this movie is observing the development of the characters, especially Cahit. Alltough both main characters come from therapy after attempting suicide, the main goal of the argument doesn't lie in warning for the beauty of life, its importance and how stupid it would be to end it, stuff like that. No. Breathtaking drama with two very good performances. Fine selection. 7/10