Synopsis
You can put an end to your life without killing yourself," whispers the doctor. And Cahit, 40, whose suicide attempt has brought him to the psychiatric clinic, knows what he means: by starting a new life. Yet the anguish in his soul continues to cry out for drugs and alcohol to numb his pain. Sibel – young, pretty and, like Cahit, Turkish-German – loves life too much for a proper Muslim girl. To escape from the prison of her devout, conservative family, she fakes a suicide attempt. But it brings shame, not freedom; only marriage can save her. And so she begs Cahit to marry her. Reluctantly, he agrees. Perhaps to save her. Perhaps to do one meaningful thing in his life. They share an apartment, but little else. She savors her freedom; he has his occasional fling with his sometime girlfriend. Until love enters his life on tip-toes. As he falls in love with Sibel, he finds a new joy in life, the strength to go on. Sibel continues to see other men. Until she, too, realizes that she loves Cahit. But by now it is too late: an explosion of jealousy ends in a violent death. Cahit is sent to jail and Sibel flees to Turkey. Her heart, her mind, her soul are still with Cahit – but for how long?
Director Biography
Fatih Akin was born in Hamburg in 1973, son of Turkish immigrants. On completing high school, he studied Visual Communications at the Hamburger Hochschule für bildende Künste (HfbK). His debut as a film director was in 1998 with “Kurz und schmerzlos” ("Short Sharp Shock"). For his fourth film, “Head-On”, Fatih Akin was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, the German Film Award and the European Film Award. In 2005, he was a member of the jury at Cannes International Film Festival, where he also celebrated the world premiere of his film "Auf der anderen Seite" ("The Edge of Heaven") in 2007. The film received the Best Screenplay Award.
Fatih Akin works as a director and producer in Hamburg.
Faith Akin