After pursuing a very non-traditional suicide attempt, 40-something
alcoholic Cahit (Birol Ünel) meets Sibel (Sibel Kekilli) at a Hamburg
clinic. Like Cahit, Sibel is a second generation Turk living in
Hamburg. But, unlike Cahit, Sibel has her conservative Turkish family
inflicting conventions, which drives her to commit her own countless attempts
at suicide.
Fatih Akin's new film "Head-On" ("Gegen die Wand") (IMDb listing) is a spot-on
portrayal of the difficulties faced - especially - by second and third
generation Turkish people living in Germany. While older generations
cope with the European culture by sticking firmly to traditions and
closing their eyes to modern norms, younger generations have a hard
time incorporating customs of the West with those of their
conservative elders. Although their counterparts living in Turkey
accustom themselves to less conservative standards, families living
abroad try to hold on to their values by imposing stricter codes on
their offspring.
In "Head-On" Sibel, faced with this very
strict conservatism, sees getting married to a random
Turkish man as the only way out. The minute they meet, Sibel asks Cahit to marry her. While this
marriage is a free ticket for unquestioned one-night stands for Sibel,
it is a chance at being good for Cahit. Sibel needs this marriage to
flee from her traditional parents and dominant brother. Cahit accepts
it only because it will help with rent. At first the only thing they
share is their little flat, but as the story evolves their
relationship becomes one of obsession. Sibel's sexual escapades send
Cahit into a frenzy when he realizes that she means more to him than
cooked meals and a neat apartment.
In contrast to Cahit's child-like and trusting character, Sibel is scared
of intimacy, running away the minute someone shows her affection. She
refuses to have sex with Cahit, claiming that if they do they will
become husband and wife. For her, sex should be nothing more than a
game, and each man nothing more than a toy that she gets bored with
after a while. As Cahit and Sibel go to Turkey in the last act of the
film, we realize that they have both matured in their own way.
The anticipated ending takes nothing away from the movie, instead it
spells realism. Each character in the film -- from Cahit's pseudo-uncle
Seref (Güven Kirac) to Sibel's brother Yilmaz (Cem Akin) -- delivers
their roles with sincerity. Altogether, the film delicately portrays
German and Turkish cultures with comedy and tragedy .
The film's success doesn't lie in the fact that the story progresses
as expected or because the characters are one of us, but because each
element -- from the traditional Turkish wedding to the obsessed
husband-promiscuous wife duo -- is executed with
great candor and precision.
Filmfodder Grade: B