Gegen die Wand (2004)

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:

German | Turkish | Marriage | Hospital | Alcoholic

Awards:

23 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Birol Ünel	...	Cahit Tomruk
Sibel Kekilli	...	Sibel
Catrin Striebeck	...	Maren
Meltem Cumbul	...	Selma (Cousine)
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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Monique Akin	...	Kundin im Friseurladen
Canan Ata	...	Canan
Cahit Aygüler	...	Schläger
Adam Bousdoukos	...	Barmann - Hochzeitsnacht
Yilmaz Canan	...	Türsteher #1
Aytun Ede	...	Musiker
Selim Erdogan	...	Taxifahrer
Tugay Erverdi	...	Osman #3
Nurcan Esmertürk	...	Nurcan
Marco Greiser	...	Abschlepper Disco
Orhan Güner	...	Busfahrer
Sileyman Kaplan	...	Sly
Hatun Kazci	...	Hatice
Güven Kiraç	...	Seref
Feridun Koc	...	Osman #1
Mehmet Kurtulus	...	Barmann Istanbul
Zarah McKenzie	...	Barfrau in der Fabrik
Alma Ouglu Sahin	...	Türsteher 2
Reinhold Schulz	...	Gefängnisbeamter
Tulga Serim	...	Osman #2
Tim Seyfi	...	Bayerischer Taxifahrer
Herr Tekin	...	Barbier
Andreas Thiel	...	Standesbeamter
Misra Tomruk	...	Pamuk - Tochter
Senol Ugurlu	...	Shane
Fanfare Ciocarlia	...	Musiker (uncredited)

Directed by
Fatih Akin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fatih Akin		book

Produced by
Ali Akdeniz	....	line producer: Turkey
Fatih Akin	....	co-producer
Mehmet Kurtulus	....	co-producer
Andreas Schreitmüller	....	producer: arte
Stefan Schubert	....	producer
Ralph Schwingel	....	producer
Andreas Thiel	....	co-producer
Jeanette Würl	....	producer: NDR

Original Music by
Alexander Hacke
Maceo Parker

Cinematography by
Rainer Klausmann

Film Editing by
Andrew Bird

Casting by
Mai Seck
Mia Seck
Harika Uygur

Production Design by
Tamo Kunz

Art Direction by
Sirma Bradley
Nergis Çaliskan

Costume Design by
Katrin Aschendorf

Makeup Department
Nursen Balci	....	makeup supervisor
Daniel Schröder	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Muharrem Gulmez	....	production manager: Turkey
Ingrid Holzapfel	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andreas Thiel	....	assistant director
Nergis Usta	....	assistant director

Art Department
Christoph Birth	....	props
Beate ter Schüren	....	property master

Sound Department
Richard Borowski	....	sound mixer
Kai Greve	....	trouble shooter
Hubert Henle	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Thomas Knop	....	foley recordist
Jörg Krieger	....	sound designer
Martin Langenbach	....	foley artist
Kai Lüde	....	sound
Matthias Münster	....	adr recordist
Nani Schumann	....	sound designer
Herbert Wüst	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Peter Wiemker	....	special effects

Stunts
Emanuel Bettencourt	....	fights choreographer
Josh Haggerty	....	stunts
Soncke M. Korries	....	stunts (as Sönke Korries)
Jochen Lange	....	stunts
Uwe Mansshardt	....	stunts
Ronnie Paul	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Ümit Barlas	....	lighting technician: Turkey
Clemens Bley	....	assistant camera: second unit
Stefan Bräsen	....	electrician
Carol Burandt von Kameke	....	assistant camera
Hervé Dieu	....	assistant camera
Annika Eysel	....	assistant camera: second unit
Christian Klopp	....	camera operator: second unit
Torsten Lemke	....	gaffer
Maike Maier	....	grip
Carsten Scharrmann	....	grip
Kerstin Stelter	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Almut Stier	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Stefanie Delfs	....	negative cutter
Ilona Gehr	....	negative cutter
Nikolai Hartmann	....	assistant editor
Petra Schütt	....	color grader

Music Department
Klaus Maeck	....	music consultant
Alex Menck	....	composer: additional music

Other crew
Mira Amari	....	coach: actors
Georgios Arvanitis	....	set intern
Roman Brandt	....	location manager
Dewi Grobecker	....	payroll
Uwe Grobecker	....	production accountant
Uwe Kolbe	....	legal & business affairs
Oliver Lammert	....	title designer
Birgit Nentwig	....	production assistant
Erhan Ozogul	....	production accountant: Turkey
Andreas Schreitmüller	....	misc crew
Nergis Usta	....	continuity
Jan Weber	....	location manager
Jeanette Würl	....	misc crew

Production Companies

• Arte
• Bavaria Film International
• Corazón International
• Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
• Panfilm
• Wüste Filmproduktion

Distributors

• Timebandits Films (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cineworx (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Polyfilm Verleih (2004) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Orlando Films (2004) (Israel) (theatrical)
• Soda Pictures (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Strand Releasing (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• With Cinema (2004) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Homescreen (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep (VPRO) (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)

Other Companies

• CamCruiser Hamburg  camera cars
• Cinegate  camera equipment provided by
• Filmförderung Hamburg  funding
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding
• Konken Studios  foley recording
• Kortwich  sound equipment
• Loft Ton Studios GmbH  sound mixing
• SUBS Hamburg  subtitles
• nordmedia Fonds GmbH  funding

Also Known As:

Head-On (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Duvara karsi (Turkey: Turkish title)
Contra la pared (Argentina) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Mot väggen (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Contra a Parede (Brazil) [pt]
Cu capul înainte (Romania) [ro]
De plein fouet (Canada: French title) [fr]
Glavom kroz zid (Serbia) [sr]
Glowa w mur (Poland) [pl]
La sposa turca (Italy) [it]
Mazi, pote! (Greece) [el]
Michigu shipeun dae (South Korea) [ko]
Mod muren (Denmark) [da]
Suoraan seinään (Finland) [fi]

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:

In Istanbul, Cahit is staying at "Grand Hotel de Londres", which is also featured in Akin's movie Auf der anderen Seite (2007).

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: Are you strong enough to split both of us?
Selma: Are you strong enough to destroy her life?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Postcard

A Thrilling Roller Coaster Ride of Love and Loss

"Head On (Gegen die Wand)" is a completely original love story and shames conventional Hollywood romantic comedies with its fresh take on love and loss as rich as Rhett and Scarlett.

The closest I can think of a dysfunctional couple meeting so oddly cute and playing out an unusual relationship is in Christopher Fry's "The Lady's Not for Burning" which shares self-destructive lovers. The German literal title of "Against the Wall" is more resonant of how they feel, but the American distributors probably thought that had too much political implication.

The completely self-involved he and she here are innately off-kilter because writer/director Faith Akin sets them within a diverse Turkish immigrant community of Germany, so that their personalities are circumscribed by cultural expectations and restrictions, she chafing against binds on women and he lost in the nihilistic punk rock underground.

The rocky journey of how they find their own individuality within their sexual and emotional needs and ethnic identity and what each means to the other is an unpredictable thrill ride as each unexpected action leads to tears, laughter, poignancy and regret of bad timing. This is a baldly brash and frank exploration of the meaning of love and marriage, as individuals and within a web of family, friends and culture.

Craggy-faced Birol Ünel is riveting as the older, burned-out case whose past we only glimpse. Sibel Kekilli at first seems like just another pretty young thing, but brings spunk and sympathy on her maturing roller coaster ride. Evidently, deleted scenes that are available on the European DVD help to expand on the hints as to what her closing motivations are.

Dependant on the English subtitles, I'm sure I lost some significances as I wasn't sure when characters were speaking Turkish or German, let alone able to discern their fluency in either, with the added fillip of recognition of globalization with a sudden concluding discussion in Istanbul in English of their future.

The chapter introductions by an ethnic band playing a traditional sad love song adds to the timeliness of the tale that is reminiscent of old folk ballads of tragic love stories. In between, the punk rock and contemporary world fusion selections are terrific, including the moving closing song.