Berlin Calling (2008)

I have to be honest, this film is realistic but for all the wrong reasons. Yes, the music is fantastic; yes, the venues are authentic (or appear that way). But I have met and befriended about half a dozen DJs whose behaviour fell within the spectrum of Icka's selfish, arrogant, immature world-view and I can tell you that their behaviour did not lead to the simplistically realised 'happy ending' (such as it is) which is portrayed in Berlin Calling.The ending scenes in particular left me feeling that the makers of this movie actually believe in the same gloriously-decadent vision that they condemn Ickarus for having. They really seem to be saying that minimal techno is an end unto itself;that all the drug addiction and relationship failures that play a part in its production are just a means to an end, a drop in the ocean of 'immortality' that comes from having one's name etched on a piece of wax. Ickarus' family, best friends, lovers and admirers are all portrayed as mere accessories to his dream; willing slaves to his quest for fortune and fame. Berlin Calling would have been a much better film if its makers had dared to question the greed (both emotional and material) which bound to it in the first place.Near the end of the film, Icka's Dad blames his son's behaviour on the fall of the Berlin wall. Personally, I found this to be a lame attempt to tack some sort of logic onto the pointlessly infantile behaviour displayed by Ickarus - who for all the world comes across as a spoilt brat. If only there was some proper character development in this film - either in Icka or his supporting (and tellingly, largely-female) cast, then his selfish behaviour may have made sense. But as it is, you come away thinking, this is a guy with too much money and too little brains to appreciate it. In other words, he's about as political as a silk Gucci scarf!

The movie is dynamic, full of emotions and wonderful electronic music. It is definitely not a movie about Berlin party scene, Berlin is the backdrop of the movie.Club scene is associated with drugs, but it is not a movie about drugs either. Yes the main character is a drug addict DJ who has mental issues but the movie is not Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, neither One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.The movie explores the life of an artist, his choices, his abysmal loneliness, creativity and above all his relations to other people.Even though there are some occasional character zigzags, the movie wanders in our emotions in a beautiful way.I have seen the movie during If Film Festival in Istanbul and regretted that I had missed the performance of DJ Paul Kalkbrenner ten days ago.

Does a movie need to provide answers or is some room for interpretation sometimes the better choice? Berlin Calling does not take the bait to occupy the moral high ground. Instead it is an authentic movie about the music and party scene in Berlin, including its „dark side": drugs.In a way this movie does not have a beginning and no end, it is an ultimate extract of life – life in the electronic music scene in Berlin.The pace of the story is fast, almost like the rhythm of the electronic beats - an awesome soundtrack. Berlin Calling is authentic and entertaining movie with great acting and fantastic directing.The movie feels „(a)live" and to followers of electronic music this is a definite must-see. The only criticism that Berlin Calling may have to accept is that self-experiencing the Berlin party scene may still be better.

"Berlin Calling" is an ambitious film that looks into the dark side of the German electronic music but doesn't seem to know what to say about it. Director Hannes Stohr makes a wise move in casting real life electronic musician Paul Kalkbrenner in the lead role of (the overbearingly metaphorically named) DJ Ikarus.On the cusp of releasing his greatest record Ikarus succumbs to the effects of his longtime drug use and is admitted into a psych ward. From here, the film veers wildly in tone recalling the excesses of "Trainspotting" and the tension of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" without ever find a middleground. Subplots involving a teenage fan who works at the hospital; his on again/off again bisexual girlfriend and his dealer never really develop into anything substantial. Worse, Stohr doesn't seem to know what he wants to say about drug use. Is it necessary for creative artists? Is it an evil? Is it OK in small doses? He offers middling cases for each scenario but doesn't make any unique observations.That said, the music in the film is fantastic. Written by Kalkbrenner himself, it casts a great light on the contemporary German electronic scene and if there is any reason to see the film, it's for the music. He manages to make the subtle shifts in tone and mood accessible for even the casual music fan which is a feat in itself.