Berlin Blues (2003)
In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of students, artists, bohemians and barflys had flourished among crumbling buildings. Part of that microcosm is barkeeper Frank, semi-formally called 'Herr Lehmann' by friends and patrons. He hangs out drinking, sports utter disregard for anything beyond SO 36 and lazily pursues an affair with cook Katrin. His lifestyle is gradually disturbed, when his parents show up for a visit, things go awry with Katrin and his best friend Karl starts to act strange. Meanwhile, political turmoil mounts on the other side of the Wall.
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There are two different words in the German language that translate into the word "you" in English. One of them is a formal word, that is being used when you refer/talk to someone you don't know that well or as a form of respect. The other is being used by friends. The former mostly is connected to you referring to the other person as Mister (Lehmann). And this is where one of the jokes of the movie lies. The use of that word and something might be impossible to translate (I have no idea how one would try to).That might have been a lengthy explanation to a simple joke, but hopefully it also made clear, how the humor of the movie works. And a former VJ (MTV) is in the center of it all. Watching him take his first steps into "major" acting and succeeding is more than satisfying.
Character driven...the strength of this film is its lack of narrative drive......and the weakness of this film is its lack of narrative drive...I'm all for films that break away from the conventions...but this one is...The greasy haired Herr Lehmann does not engage me. Nor do his cronies. The film is like a stream of consciousness with no resolution. The 10p ending of the fall of the wall is? Like, Na...und? What does it have to do with anything??? Didn't enjoy it. Kinda interesting and kinda boring.I love Berlin. I love Kreuzberg. It was nice to spend an hour or two in that lokal...but it would have been better spent with interesting people. A nerd and his nerdy friends didn't do it for me. I'd rather have followed Soda Pop (Fanta) Rainer's story.
***********************May contain SPOILERS!!!*******************Mister Lehmann is 30 years old and lives in Berlin. He works in a tavern and like his life although nothing special happened in it. But then he felt in love and his life seems to change. But she don't know if she loves Lehmann or if she only be in love. His best friend, at least he think he is, get more and more depressive. "Kristall-Rainer" seems to be a cop and he realize more and more that he's felt in love. And all that happened in the time nearly the Fall of the Wall. This movie shows this historical time from a simple point of view of a simple human being and, that's important, in West Berlin. So slight and funny hints ("why do people in the east need a world clock?") and so deep senses of the characters. Awesome! Christian Ulmen seems to become a great actor, unless he is at present! Lehmanns lethargic moral conduct paired with funny dialogs makes a bizarre and hilarious spirit. The best German comedy in the last years beside "Lammbock", also if this movie can't be pigeonhole.
The film opens with a great and also very funny scene. The drunken and tired Herr Lehmann walks down the streets to reach his apartment. Finally he sees himself confronted with an awful dog!He grabs into his pockets and finds some booze. In the end both are more or less drunken, Lehmann and the dog.Two police officers drive by and wonder about this strange event... This film has everything you can laugh, cry or cheer about and in the end the Berlin Wall is teared down, too.Go and see it.