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Year of release: 2004
Director: Fatih Akın
Writer: Fatih Akın
Starring: Sibel Kekilli, Birol Ünel, etc.

For more information on “Gegen die Wand” (EN: “Head-On”), visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
I, frankly, was surprised by how well this film is made. It is complex, engaging and beautifully gloomy. It’s about circles and swirls – the main characters looping back to the place where they started, certain factors modified. It was the first movie by Fatih Akın I had ever seen, and it made me want to see more of his movies, expecting them to match my taste (which has happened indeed – I saw and liked two others). Plus, “Head-On” resonated with my nostalgic love for Istanbul and Turkey – where I lived for a while – and the bitter-sweet aftertaste.

Highlights:
Fatih Akın’s talent for making movies is remarkable, the actors gave great performances, and the whole movie vibrates with emotion… all kinds of emotion.

Downside:
Some may find it too gloomy and not clear enough.

Would I see it again? – Yes, but not very soon

My Rating (1 to 10): 9

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
… visit Istanbul 🙂