{image1}Don't let the poster fool you. While the soft focus, yellow-tinged image of Istanbul overlaid with a couple dancing and making love, might attempt to paint the German film "Head On" as a romantic picture, it's a bit misleading.
Make no mistake, the film, written and directed by German-Turkish Fatih Akin ("In July"), has some romantic moments and sentiments, but soft-focus it isn't. Hard-hitting, emotional, brilliantly acted, however, it is.
Cahit Tomruk (Birol Unel) is a 40-ish German Turk who appears to have surrendered to life's tragedies after the death of his wife, to whom he was passionately devoted. Now he lives in a disgustingly filthy Hamburg apartment and picks up empty beer bottles at a local rock club after concerts, snorting cocaine when he can find it.
He has an unusual sex/hate relationship with local hairdresser Maren (Catrin Striebeck) and he's vaguely friendly with another Turk, Seref (Guven Kirac). But, otherwise, Cahit is alone and he seems to like it that way.
On a visit to his psychiatrist, he meets the beautiful, raven-haired 20-something Sibel Guner (Sibel Kekilli), who asks him, impetuously, "Are you Turkish?" and "Will you marry me?"
Sibel, who has attempted suicide, lives with her restrictive parents, who will allow her to marry only a Turk. Since she needs to get away from home -- mostly, she says, because she loves sex and wants to have it often and with many different men -- she's looking for a Turk to wed.
Cahit reluctantly agrees, despite his many misgivings -- as well as those of Sibel's parents -- and they marry, and Sibel moves in and cleans up the flat. Cahit can handle the neatening, but can he cope with the ways in which their already complex relationship will become still more complicated?
Neither Sibel nor Cahit is capable of coping on a daily basis and their ups and downs (read: mostly downs) are astonishing and so regular and so damaging that it's miraculous that they can survive. But, remarkably they do survive. Now, can they survive together?
Dark and, at times, painful to watch, "Head On" isn't afraid to dig deep into two troubled lives and find rays of light. Kekilli and Unel are absolutely masterful in playing these almost over-the-top losers and minutes after meeting them on screen we're stricken by them and their tortured souls; their capacity for highs and the strength -- despite the suicide attempts -- that gets them through the lows.
It's hard to find flaws in a film that even boasts a soundtrack that features The Birthday Party, Ofra Haza, Sisters of Mercy and a host of Turkish pop stars.
In fact, like a song by The Birthday Party, "Head On" has the same breathless, calamitous allure as a horrible car crash. You hate to see it, but you can't help looking, either.
"Head On" opens Friday, June 10 at Landmark's Downer Theatre.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
