Head-On [Gegen die Wand]
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Movie Reviews of Head-On [Gegen die Wand]
Movie Review: The "clash of civilizations" as a Romeo-and-Julia-story ...
Summary: 5 Stars
"HEAD-ON" (Gegen die Wand) describes "The clash of civilizations" (Samuel Huntington) with the pattern of a ROMEO-and-JULIA-story: a ROMEO ("Cahit Tomruk" played by Birol Uenel) and JULIA ("Sibel Guner" played by Sibel Kekilli), influenced by the circumstances of our present age, are suffering under their identity-pain, caught in their specific story of woe: the differences between German and Turkish culture, between living in the red-light-area of big cities (Hamburg, Berlin, Istanbul), however born in small rural villages, tattered between disciplined middle class, drunken underdogs or fundamental islamic believers beyond all social classes. In the beginning Romeo and Julia are in the protecting arms of a psychiatric hospital. But Cahit and Sibel prefer to break out and unteachably they return to their red-light-districts. Back in their life of drugs and suicide, violence and one-night-stands there is a climax, that will render Romeo into a phase of heavy jealousy: He kills an admirer of his Sibel-Julia. Now he is in prison - and Sibel-Julia leaves Germany and escapes to Istanbul. At first in the helping hands of her middle-class sister (a hotel manager), Sibel again (the actress Kekilli is a former porn-star and plays it well) carries on her run-away-identity: back to the entertaining whiskey-bar harbour-area of Istanbul - not an inch better than the german Hamburg Reeperbahn-scene: drugs, sex, self-suicidal violence. Her Romeo, after his prison time, speeds via taxi to Istanbul - only to find his Julia deeply changed in a masquerade of middle class behaviour: no long hairs, intellectual glasses, no emotions, with a hidden, frozen soul, married to a middle class man. What he wished to find had gone. So he mournfully leaves Istanbul and crawls back into his very roots: a little turkish town, where once he was born. An odyssee of finding oneself, though irreparable splitted up in the "clash of civilizations" ...
Movie Review: Hitting the wall . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
For viewers of Hollywood films about marriages of convenience that turn into romantic comedies, this is not another one of those. Which is not to say that the kind of romance that develops between the two central characters doesn't have far reaching effects - living happily together ever after not being among them. Each in his way is redeemed by love, and the viewer is taken along on a long, long journey with many turns, often difficult to absorb. If anything, the film represents the painful conflict at the heart of many Turks living as expatriates in Europe.
The "head-on" car crash that brings the two protagonists together is also about a whiplash collision of cultures that are not only separated by a great distance but also by centuries. It is not surprising that in these circumstances both characters are driven to extremes of behavior. That Cahit and Sibel survive the ordeals they have gone through is partly the result of what they begin to feel for each other, but also important is a return to Turkey where each finds some measure of personal integrity.
The performances in this film are breathtaking. Birol ?nel as Cahit is a Turkish Klaus Kinski with the mercurial "good looks" of Mick Jagger. He is a stormy presence on the screen (and apparently on the set as well) and delivers a disturbing portrayal of self-destructiveness. Sibel Kekilli's peformance is equally astonishing. The DVD has no director's commentary (which would have been interesting), but it includes a number of deleted scenes and out-takes, and an informative and entertaining "making of" featurette by an intern who worked on the film.
Movie Review: A great film by one of the best modern filmmakers
Summary: 5 Stars
One of my favorite movies of recent years. Amazingly moving, bleak, sexy, funny, punky. Great acting, wonderful, simple photography, cool editing choices, and terrific music.
An alcoholic, self-destructive Turk living in Germany agrees to marry young, borderline crazy, free spirited Turkish girl looking to get away from her grasping, tradition bound family. This simple plot leads to a relationship of amazing complexity, and a love story of joy, humor, and heartbreak. That's partly because filmmaker Akin approaches familiar situations with such a unique, playful and fresh eye, and partly because, along with his two lead actors he has created two unforgettable characters - rich in contradictions and confusion, like all of us.
Nothing in their obvious personal experience is anything like mine. I've never been an immigrant, an alcoholic, or lost and self-destructive. Yet, with amazing ease I felt let into this world, and found the human connections underneath, the things we all share. Suddenly the differences in the human experience seemed much less important than the similarities. And, to me, this is the real genius Akin has shown in his last few films. By being so specific and real about a world, he, paradoxically makes it universal and accessible.
I urge you to seek it out.
Movie Review: beautiful film
Summary: 5 Stars
FIRST of all, to the reviewer below me, you could not be more wrong about turkish culture.
For one, a "dip" in the pool is no where NEAR forbidden in most peoples ideology who hail from turkey. If you knew much turkey you would be able to recognize their liberal nature, and thus, there atypical behavior of mostly islamic nations.
Second, you try to make turkey sound very influenced by religion. This, is again, entirely untrue...especially being that turkey is a secular country and therefore any overly zealous religious tendencies would come from personal attributions.
i could go on to rip apart your review...but i'll leave it there and get to the film.
this is a beautiful movie to say the least. the portrayel of human suffering, happiness, and culture is depicted wonderfully through out the entire film.
Although the film is a bit dark and not for the light hearted, it is safe to be said that this is, in fact, where the real beauty of the film originates. love from a dark place is mystical in this film...and it leaves you wondering in the end...maybe even a bit unsatisfied with the outcome- who knows.
i could go on-but im done..its late and im going to bed.
Movie Review: Best Movie I've ever seen- the awards seem to prove it
Summary: 5 Stars
Some people think this movie is about culture and immigrants (German,
Turkish) But that is not the emphasis. Its not about clashes of culture, for one thing the charecters are nutcases-one cannot induce a cultural analysis by looking at two figures.
The emphasis is on how low
one can go; where does one hit the bottom; and how love is intertwined in
such a spiral.
A magnificent tragedy, but it doesn't make you feel
depressed, it makes you take a big deep breath in and damn and
appreciate life at the same time. The actor and actress are
magnificent so was the supporting actors. The director doesn't treat
the audience as dumb nor as people who have to really think hard to get
it. The sequence of events and the transition from scene to scence are magnificent.
The movie swept every possible film award in Europe and is still sweeping
rewards in North America and rest of the world. No wonder the U.S. national movie critics declared it the best foreign movie of the year. This this is the best
movie I've seen. PERIOD (.)