English Title: Head-On.
Synopsis: Two suicidal patients in a German clinic agree to get married so that the woman can move out of her oppressive family's house. A relationship between them gradually develops.
Appraisal: The characters's motivations in this drama are a bit flimsy at the start (why does she have to marry him to leave home; why does he agree). Otherwise their behavior is convincing enough. Also, several pieces seem to be missing (how exactly was the girl's life in her family's house; what happened between the guy and his first wife; what went on from the point when the girl is beaten up and left for dead until when the guy travels to Turkey to see her), a fact which may be explained by the original 4 hour length being cut down to 2 hours (alas, my copy was even shorter at 116 minutes -- go ask Brazilian channel Telecine if you want to know why, maybe they have the answer...). Basically what this movie seems to be about is how sometimes two seemingly doomed individuals provide strength to each other that helps them find a reason to live. The ending provides another poignant lesson that qualifies the first one, but I am not willing to spoil it for those who haven't watched it. It is clear, in the case of the girl, that the unbearably repressive Turkish family values, in contrast with the society in which she lives, is the prime responsible for her self-destructiveness; in the case of the man, the reasons for his behavior are not as clear, but it is interesting to think that the stress associated to belonging to a minority group helped shape his psyche. All in all, an interesting film about people on the edge, helped by two great central performances. I am willing to bet that it would be more engaging and powerful in its complete, unreleased, version.
Rating: 58
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