Karry
Best movie of this year hands down!
Comwayon
A Disappointing Continuation
Ogosmith
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Dalbert Pringle
WARNING!...This is a very, Very, VERY depressing movie!...VERY!... The brutal reality depicted in this 1981, German film is so shockingly graphic at times that it sends the viewer into a state of near numbness due to over-exposure."Christiane F" is basically a savage blow-by-blow account of what could easily happen to a naive, 14 year old, German brat who leaves the manicured, middle class comforts of her white, suburban home and decides to trek on down to Berlin (where she thinks the grass is greener).What is ultimately the most depressing thing about "Christiane F" is the fact that it is based on a true account of one young girl's downward spiral into the arena of hell, via the fast lane.And, is the movie "Christiane F" an answer to the problem? No, not really. It could never be that. But, perhaps, it may open a few eyes. And, believe me, the more eyes open, the better.*Special note* - Pop idol - David Bowie makes a cameo appearance in this film and a number of his songs are featured throughout the film's soundtrack.
jerichar
I 100% agree with Falconeer on the review of Christiane F. I saw this movie in the 80's and it left such an impression on me on how devastating heroin addiction is. There is no sugar coating or glamorization here. It is quite bleak and really lets the viewer know how desperate heroin addicts are.
joffoo
Of course you can't compare movies to books, but I've expected a lot more from this film. All in all it didn't feel very fluent: Slow character development and emotionless acting was my impression. The characters didn't feel very authentic (detlef seemed so forced to play an awkward person in some scenes), maybe because most of the kids weren't actors in the first place. Or the director intended the lack of emotions, fitting bored kids/teenagers, in that case I didn't like it very much.Besides the slow plot in the film, I think the overall mood was pretty spot on. All of the sets were pretty gloomy and it just gave me such a nasty feeling, looking at spots where all the junkies were consuming heroin (or even prostituting themselves).I did miss the aspect, that the viewer did not really know the motive behind Christiane. In the book, it is exactly explained, why she ultimately did drugs. There is only a short passage of her youth in the film, which could also have been included (Since the dialogues between characters felt like ages passing, it should have been doable). Edit: It does become better in the second half of the movie.To sum up: I don't think it is a bad movie, because it is a drama with a very interesting matter, but the whole style to it just isn't my cup of tea.
Spastiche
Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is an adaptation of the 1979 book, which in turn is based on a true story. The film is extremely realistic in its depiction of drug use and their side effects. The withdrawal scene in particular was very disturbing. The actors did an excellent job. Everything was believable.The soundtrack was composed entirely by David Bowie, and is somewhat depressing at times. This was a low budget production, however, it does not disappoint. There's a certain style, a little "something" that adds to the overall quality of the film. The characters, plot, music and setting help create an "atmosphere". It's perfect. I would be overjoyed if I found another flick with a similar atmosphere.The film's duration may be a problem with some viewers. It's about 2 hours and 11 minutes long (uncensored), and it may take a while for the story to "take off". The first half hour is merely an introduction to what is going to come up next. I was put off for a while because it can be hard to find motivation and time to sit through 2+ hours of video, but I am glad that I watched this now.Many people seem to believe that the real Christiane F. has died, however, she is still alive and (somewhat) drug-free.Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is also very educational, and even though there are sexual elements to the story, I would recommend this to a teenager as a warning about the dangers of drug abuse.I give this 10/10.
