Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (1981)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Uli Edel

Writers:

Uli Edel (additional writer)
Kai Hermann (book)

Release Date:

2 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

At 12 it was Angel Dust. At 13 it was heroin. Then she took to the streets.

Plot:

This movie portrays the drug scene in Berlin in the 70s, following tape recordings of Christiane F....

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Subculture | Germany | Voice Over Narration | Money

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Natja Brunckhorst	...	Christiane
Thomas Haustein	...	Detlev
Jens Kuphal	...	Axel
Rainer Woelk	...	Leiche (as Rainer Wölk)
Jan Georg Effler	...	Bernd
Christiane Reichelt	...	Babsi
Daniela Jaeger	...	Kessi
Kerstin Richter	...	Stella
David Bowie	...	Himself
Eberhard Auriga	...	Alter Fixer
Peggy Bussieck	...	Puppi
Lothar Chamski	...	Rolf
Uwe Diderich	...	Klaus
Ellen Esser	...	Kessis Mutter
Andreas Fuhrmann	...	Atze

Also Known As:

Christiane F. (International: English title)
Die Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (West Germany) (working title)
We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (USA)
Zoo (UK)

Runtime:

138 min | 131 min (cut version)

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1981) | UK:18 (video) (2000) (uncut) | UK:18 (video) (1986) (cut) | UK:X (theatrical release) (1981) (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Solaris Film

Trivia:

Natja Brunckhorst was just 14 years old when the movie was filmed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Christiane F. plays the David Bowie album, "ChangesOneBowie," in her room. But the song that is heard - the German version of "Heroes" ("Helden") - is not on that particular record.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Murder Island (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sense of Doubt

A very emotional movie.

I have just finished viewing Christiane F. this morning, and I can say that I have been thinking about nothing else for the last 7 hours. This is a very powerful movie that will leave you very sad and depressed about the story of Christiane. I have been on the verge of tears all day thinking about this poor child's life.

As noted in other reviews, this is a very dark film that portrays childhood drug abuse in Berlin in the late 70's. It is not for the faint of heart, as there is death; many needle scenes, vomiting from the characters and prostitution scenes. The story is not happy and it is a downward spiral of one child's sorry life in Berlin. The only happy moment comes in the last 30 seconds of the film, as it is depressing all the way up to the end. But, this is a love story (a dark one) about Christiane and Detlev and their journey through the life of drugs as teenagers in Berlin. Even though the relationship is damned, it is still touching.

Now to the facts, the film boasts some very good teenage actors in a 14-year-old Natja Brunckhorst as Christiane and Thomas Haustein as Detlev. Both portray emotions common to the characters: lack of confidence, desperation, depression and denial very well. Both characters are very believable and you will form an emotional attachment to both. The soundtrack is all David Bowie, which really provides an excellent set of moments with the music. I was very impressed that his music could be placed so well into a movie.

The DVD version comes in the original German language version and a dubbed English version (which I saw). Now, I wish I knew German (or it had subtitles) as I would much rather have heard the original actors voices, than the 20-year-old voice that is dubbing Christiane. Regardless, the movie can still be enjoyed in this format. The DVD also comes with no frills; it's just the movie. I really think a movie of this caliber should have actor interviews, a Christiane biography, or whatever, as this film will leave you wanting more. Hopefully they address this with a future release, as well as English subtitles for the German language version.

This movie I feel is really a lot stronger than some of the other drug movies that I have seen: Drugstore Cowboy, Traffic, etc.. and I would highly recommend it over the others, as it is a very touching story about the dark side of life.

And last show it to your kids to show them the realities of drugs. Kids need to know that they can die form drugs. The only problem I have is this movie is based off of heroin, which is not a popular drug today, so it might not be as believable to teenagers.