Gegen die Wand (2004)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Fatih Akin (book)

Release Date:

11 March 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In 'Gegen die Wand' Cahit, a 40-something male from Mersin in Turkey has removed everything Turkish from his life...

Plot Keywords:

Slap In The Face | Psychiatric Patient | Female Nudity | Hospital | Escape

Awards:

23 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Birol Ünel	...	Cahit Tomruk
Sibel Kekilli	...	Sibel
Catrin Striebeck	...	Maren
Meltem Cumbul	...	Selma (Cousine)
Zarah McKenzie	...	Barfrau in der Fabrik
Stefan Gebelhoff	...	Nico
Francesco Fiannaca	...	Mann am Tresen
Mona Mur	...	Stammkundin Zoe Bar
Ralph Misske	...	Patient 1 (Psychiatrie)
Philipp Baltus	...	Patient 2 (Psychiatrie)
Hermann Lause	...	Dr. Schiller
Karin Niwiger	...	Kassiererin (Psychiatrie)
Demir Gökgöl	...	Yunus Güner (Vater)
Cem Akin	...	Yilmaz Güner (Bruder)
Aysel Iscan	...	Birsen Güner (Mutter)

Also Known As:

Duvara karsi (Turkey: Turkish title)
Head-On (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, pervasive language, some brutal violence and drug content.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

Germany | Turkey

Language:

German | Turkish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Chile:14 | Hungary:16 | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | Argentina:16 | Brazil:18 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R21 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Fabrik, Altona, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

Sibel Kekilli was discovered at a Cologne shopping mall.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The psychiatrist at the beginning of the film tells Cahit about a song by the band The The containing the line "If you can't change the world, change your world". The actual quote (from the song "Lonely Planet", included in the album "Dusk") is "If you can't change the world, change yourself".

Quotes:

Cahit: Punk is not dead!
Sibel: Punk is not dead!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)

Soundtrack:

After Laughter Comes Tears

A Human Story Crashing the Walls ; Truly Amazing ,

Turkey premier of the movie has been held here just a few days ago but even before that all the attention was taken on the pornographic past of the lead actress neither on the golden bear nor on the success it has gained internationally (Which I hated the way media approached) ... I have seen it recently and should say its a must see movie. A classic story of the 3rd generation of Turks in Germany outlined very well around a love story. Lead actor Birol and Sibel Kekilli have done a good job . The basic story takes you in and makes you feel all the sadness, craziness, happiness, joy and deep depressions of the characters. The bitterness of the reality spread all over the movie and kind of depressing. The story is also politically and socially a very good point expressing maybe thousands of peoples true lives stucked between two cultures. I would love to watch it once again. This was Sibel's first movie and I believe she will be a very good actress and wishing her luck;

I admire her posture towards all the criticism so much .