Romancefest 2014: Head-On

One of the best reasons to do something like Romancefest is to find movies like HEAD-ON. This 2004 German/Turkish co-production directed by Fatih Akin would have never even been on my radar if I wasn't doing something like this. And I LOVED it.

Birol Unel and Sibel Kekilli star as two Turkish-Germans who meet in the psych ward after individual suicide attempts. Unel's given up and turned to drugs and alcohol in the wake of his wife's death. Kekilli just wants to get away from her oppressive, conservative family so she can enjoy being a free young woman.

Her plan for freedom? Marry Unel. He's about twice her age, but he's Turkish, so her family will accept him, and once she's out of the house, she can do whatever she wants -- party at clubs, sleep around, whatever. For Unel's part, he'll have meals and a clean apartment. He reluctantly agrees.

Now, this sounds like the setup for a lame sitcom. Let me guess, I thought: they learn to love each other and live happily ever after. Not exactly. There's some of that, but Akin's screenplay also allows his characters to be real, three dimensional humans, which means things are a lot messier.

And are they ever messy. Unel and Kekilli are totally convincing in their roles, Unel disappearing early on into his stubble, greasy hair, and anarchic alcoholism to the point where you wonder if this is actually how this guy is. Kekilli's more challenging parts come later in the story, as you see the full range of her character develop. Both characters have moments of joy, but there are also moments of immense pain.

Aside from the acting, what faces these characters have. Kekilli is beautiful in a very unique way, and able to inhabit several different looks and moods like a chameleon. Unel has a scarred visage you won't soon forget, a face as complex as his performance.

This movie succeeds on so many levels, beyond just the story and the acting, that it's hard to put into words. I should also note that it's very nice to see a story told from a point of view I've never seen before, which is that of a Turkish immigrant living in Germany. Isn't it interesting how just one little point of view change can breathe new life into what might have been a story that's been told before? Of course, we have the benefit of Akin obviously knowing what he's talking about, and fully exploiting every angle of his premise, his setting and his characters. This movie doesn't neglect a single angle of what it puts before us. There's not a contrived moment in the film, even when it is contrived.