This movie uses Kreuzberg, a district in the heart of Berlin as plot driver for several little episodes. Since the famous May Day riots in 1987 where Kreuzberg was a marginal district cornered by the Berlin Wall and charged with social conflicts due to Ghetto-politics concerning the Turkish immigrants minority Kreuzberg on 1st of may has been the magnet for politically left sided tourists, cops form abroad etc. In recent years with the crisis of the German political left the events have largely deescalated and 1st of May in Kreuzberg not only became folcloristic but also the riots seem to be part of the past. However 'Berlin 1. Mai' depicts a very realistic image of Kreuzberg today. The different episodes' plots seem a little overdone on some occasions but that doesn't hurt the overall impression of a very intense cinematic experience.
