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 | Apartment | Sister | Friend | Apartment Building

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

Filming Locations:

Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Solaris Film

Trivia:

Christiane Lechle, the actress who played Christiane's mother, was dubbed by Renate Küster.

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:

Stay

One of the most thought-provoking, interesting and disturbing films I have ever seen

I really wasn't prepared for this film, or was I? I had been recommended it, and told it was disturbing, but it certainly had a massive effect on me.

Christiane F is the true story of a girl who gets seduced by the German nightlife and David Bowie, and slowly drifts onto heroin.

There are several disturbing parts of this movie. The heroin/prostitution scenes are disturbing, but I didn't get disturbed by these as much as I did the story. The media would have us believe that heroin users and dealers are monsters and don't have a right to live. The people in this movie are real, and easy to identify with.

I definitely recommend this movie, and compared to Trainspotting (a film I also enjoyed) is much more realistic.