Head-On is a 2004 film by German filmmakers Fatih Akin, who is of Turkish descent. The film centers on Sibel and Cahit, and Sibel's threatening to take her life in order to get Cahit to marry her so that she can live out her dream life which centers around breaking free from the traditions and customs of her family. She so desires to break free that she places herself in dangerous situations over and over again. Psychologically her choice of lifestyle is a way of proving to her parents that, "you did this to me by confining me my whole life."
The film becomes a cry for help, a desperate plea to set one's life back in an order that has the potential for a future. This is Cahit's torment throughout the film in a deeply personal way (his heart is torn apart by the loss of his first wife) and in a cultural way (he is a German Turk). His being between two worlds allows him to represent the opportunity for wholeness between the two cultures, and wholeness of his heart. A desire that is not fulfilled.
Head-On received the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival and the Best Film and the Audience Award at the 2004 European Film Awards.
