Head-On (2005)
94%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: 25 wins & 14 nominations
Head-On is a punky, noisy romance that captures the essence of contemporary classics such as My Beautiful Laundrette and Trainspotting. Fatih Akin’s raw and powerful film takes us on a multileveled journey from despair to “do something” that is both violent and sexy, funny and sad. The spectacle of people developing feelings for each other through layers of mutual narcissism, self-loathing, and raging terror of intimacy is a testament to the two lead performances. While the storytelling rhythms can be jarring, it seems true to the disconnect of Cahit’s and Sibel’s lives. Beyond its pleasures as a good piece of storytelling, Head-On also provides interesting commentary on the clash between different cultures. Overall, Head-On is a gloomy fairy-tale version of a Hollywood romantic film that is directed with extraordinary confidence and maturity by the 32-year-old Fatih Akin.
Head-On is a punk rock love story that will make you want to dye your hair black and start a mosh pit in your living room. The chemistry between the two cultural misfits is electric, and the raw emotion and powerful performances will leave you feeling like you just got punched in the gut (in a good way). Sure, the storytelling rhythms can be a little jarring, but that’s just part of the film’s charm. Plus, it’s got some interesting commentary on cultural clashes, so you might even learn something while you’re headbanging.
Production Company(ies)
ARTE Bavaria Film International, Corazón International,
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Fabrik, Altona, Hamburg, Germany
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, pervasive language, some brutal violence and drug content
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital EX
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 2m
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Language(s):German, Turkish, English
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Country of origin:France, Germany
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Catrin Striebeck, Güven Kiraç, Meltem Cumbul, Cem Akin, directed by Fatih Akin, written by Fatih Akin, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sukhdev Sandhu, David Ansen, Nick Schager, Roger Moore, Geoff Pevere, Rick Groen, Yasser Medina, Nigel Floyd, Brian Miller, Mark Halverson, Ethan Alter, MPAA rating R, immigrants, traditional, modern, Hamburg, Germany, mental institution, suicidal, marriage, Turkish, romance, provocative, emotional, punky, noisy, My Beautiful Laundrette, Trainspotting, powerful, multileveled, despair, love, cultural misfits, violence, sexuality, pervasive language, drug content, brutal violence, strong graphic sexuality, Strand Releasing, Stefan Schubert, Ralph Schwingel, produced by Stefan Schubert, Ralph Schwingel
Worldwide gross: $11,065,801
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,456,151
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,760
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,903,615
US/Canada gross: $435,395
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $686,830
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,263
US/Canada opening weekend: $15,216
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $24,003
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,447
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Sibel Kekilli – Sibel Güner
Catrin Striebeck – Maren
Güven Kiraç – Seref
Meltem Cumbul – Selma
Cem Akin – Yilmaz Güner (Bruder)
Director(s)
Fatih Akin
Writer(s)
Fatih Akin
Producer(s)
Stefan Schubert, Ralph Schwingel
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
25 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (8)
A punky, noisy romance full of life and emotion and ideas that captures the moment in the style of contemporary classics such as My Beautiful Laundrette and Trainspotting.
April 1, 2019
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
That this marriage of convenience between two cultural misfits will eventually lead to love may sound like a contrivance, but that’s not at all the way it plays. Akin’s raw, powerful, multileveled movie takes us places we never expected to go.
March 13, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Ultimately more provocative than insightful.
April 10, 2006 | Rating: B
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Akin makes this a most intriguing, if roundabout, journey from despair to ‘do something.’
July 1, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The power of Akin’s film, which is considerably aided by the two lead performances … comes from the spectacle of people developing feelings for each other even through numbing layers of mutual narcissism, self-loathing and raging terror of intimacy.
June 17, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Violent and sexy and funny and sad.
June 17, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
One of the few films by the German Turkish director Fatih Akin that gets me hooked from start to finish. [Full review in Spanish]
February 26, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
From its stunning opening sequence to its merciless fatalistic conclusion, this is directed with extraordinary confidence and maturity by the 32-year-old Fatih Akin.
April 23, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Nigel Floyd
The List
The storytelling rhythms can be a little jarring, almost like early Spike Lee, but this seems true to the disconnect of Cahit’s and Sibel’s lives.
February 19, 2019
Brian Miller
Seattle Weekly
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
Beyond its pleasures as a good piece of storytelling, Head-On also provides some interesting commentary on the clash between different cultures.
March 1, 2007
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International
A gloomy fairy-tale version of a Hollywood romantic film that barely gets past its gloomy outlook on life.
October 5, 2005 | Rating: C+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…
Plot
In ‘Gegen die Wand’ Cahit, a 40-something male from Mersin in Turkey has removed everything Turkish from his life. He has become an alcoholic drug addict and at the start of the movie wants to end it all. Sibel a 20-something female from Hamburg wishes to please her Turkish parents yet yearns for freedom. She has had her nose broken by her brother for being seen holding hands with a boy and yet she can not break her mother’s heart and run away. She too attempts suicide and she first approaches Cahit there at the Hospital. Sibel asks Cahit to marry her, as she believes this to be the way out of her parent’s house. She promises Cahit that their relationship will be like roommates, not like a married couple. The film follows Sibel and Cahit as they get married, become closer and eventually fall in love.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Lead actor Birol Ünel won the Best Actor award at the 2004 European Film Awards for his performance in Head-On.
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