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Head-On

Gegen Die Wand (Head-On)

2004

Fatih Akin

Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Catrin Striebeck, Güven Kiraç ...

7.4

12,983

Drama Cahit is a German Turk at his late 30's. He has given up with his life after his beloved wife's death, and he's living a miserable life right in the core of cocaine and excessive drinking. One night, he semi-intentionally crashes into a wall, and barely survives. At the hospital he's taken to, he meets a girl, Sibel, another German Turk who's tried to commit suicide. She's sick and tired of her family's ultra-traditional issues, and ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Eddie Cockrell Variety	"More immediate and passionate than helmer Fatih Akin’s previous pic, 'Solino,' (...) [An] ambitious, confident fourth feature"
		Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"Mr. Akin's commitment to his characters is uncompromising, as is his humanity"
		Andrew Pulver The Guardian	"There's a sense of urgency here that can't be ignored"
		Dan Fainaru Screendaily	"The film's chief weakness is its dramatic structure, and if the danger of familiar formulas is largely avoided early on by the sheer impetuosity of the direction and performances, its later loose ends are difficult to ignore"
		Matthew Leyland BBC	"Raw, impassioned and provocative (...) [An] exhilarating emotional rollercoaster (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Chris Fujiwara Chicago Reader	"Fatih Akin has skill and panache, and the lead actors are likable. But the film's high energy can't compensate for the muddled conception"
		Anthony Lane The New Yorker	"In its wry ferocity, is the sort of picture that Quentin Tarantino could, should, and would be making if he took the trouble to steep himself in the lived existence of other cultures"
		David Parkinson Empire	"Akin builds well, but blows it at the last reel, but the lead performances are solid and delicately nuanced (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"'Head-On' plays like a work of a precocious young talent, in the best possible sense"

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