When the original book nearly Christiane F's live as a teenage drug aficionado and prostitute in W Berlin was released in the late seventies it shocked a whole nation that had turned a bullheaded eye to some of its almost vulnerable people. It's yet a stunning read that lost none of its power, a lurid and detailed description of a youth lost, of dearest and expiry, promise and despair. Despite its graphic content it'due south become a classic that is still being read in schools. The 1981 film version was a scrap sanitized by comparison, even so effective in showing the grime and clay of West Berlin'due south drug scene at the fourth dimension, oft filmed at the existent locations guerilla style. Unfortunately it plays a fleck too sensationalist and ditched much of the nuance and details of the volume in favor of a more than classic cautionary tale narrative. I'grand not a big fan just absolutely it notwithstanding retained a lot of the core strengths of the book.
To me the interesting question in regards to this new mod loose adaptation of Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is: who thought it was a good thought to make heroine employ, habit and survival sex so glossy, stylish, sexy, hip and palpable to a current teenage audience?
Many movies that bargain with habit similar Trainspotting, Spun, Requiem for a dream and fifty-fifty the 1981 Christiane F. version accept been accused of accidentally or intentionally glorifying elements of drug use with its artistic visuals and stylish filmmaking. I would personally disagree with a lot of these assessments, I retrieve it's necessary to prove the highs of drugs so an audition can more than easily empathise why people would destroy themselves for such substances, only it'due south a off-white point to debate. However the remake of Bahnhof Zoo but goes so far that I tin't in proficient conscience defend any of it. The overwhelming success of the volume and original movie inadvertently turned many of its real life protagonists into counter culture icons with devastating personal results, especially for main protagonist Christiane F herself, the Amazon Prime serial seems to try to do that intentionally. The constant glamour shots, wearisome-mo walking, stylish outfits, driving EDM beats, the absurd and swagger of heroine chic. While the serial somewhen touches some of the darker aspects of these kids' lives, even that abyss is illuminated mostly with gloss and a sense of exciting danger rather than introspection and gravitas. Given the harrowing existent life tales the original story is based on all the stylistic choices to brand this an entertaining coming of historic period testify first and foremost, strike me as tone-deafened at best and contemptuous at worst.
At that place are huge issues with the management of this show. In whatsoever other circumstance the mixing of dissimilar time periods could be an interesting idea. We have a 70s esque city scape, lots of 80s and 90s fashion, contrasted with modernistic electronic dance music in the countless club scenes that are populated with current age looking appealing young people. The makers explained in interviews that they wanted a more timeless tale that younger people could more easily relate besides but setting information technology fully in modern times would change the story too much. The trouble with that is: the original story isn't timeless past whatsoever means. Its themes and psychological underpinnings are, but Christiane F'south story is a time sheathing, a distinctly West High german tale from the late seventies. Fifty-fifty less than a decade later on the drug scene in Berlin had already changed completely and no longer aligned at all with the book, let alone now xl years later. If you lot want to do it justice you either take to do a detailed period slice or a complete modernization based on the current state of affairs in the same scene (which would require lots of inquiry and that sounds similar too much piece of work, I agree). Sadly they ended up doing a bad mixture of both. Borrowing any West Berlin chic and David Bowie cool they could afford, to ride on the enduring brand appeal of Bahnhof Zoo and the current moving ridge of retro Berlin fascination, mixing it with 2020s advert aesthetics for mass international entreatment. The next may sound like a minor indicate only it illustrates the larger problem: I personally dear Bowie dearly but the ubiquitous presence of his music and likeness is completely at odds with the modern sound and visuals of the show, but because it is such an integral part of the Christiane F. brand they of course couldn't not employ it. I'm sorry but I only tin can't come across anything but contemptuous marketing decisions backside every creative choice fabricated in this testify.
And it's such a bummer too. In that location is a lot of amazing fresh acting talent on display hither. The extended length of a series compared to a picture means you could have more faithfully adapted the book. Had they committed to a better thought out flow play the high budget could have atomic number 82 to a detailed and charming resurrection of 1970s West Berlin, a remarkable city now long gone.
Fifty-fifty if you lot ignore the exploitive nature of the series (remember: this is all based on real people, almost of them children or youths at the time) information technology's just not a well-told show. It'due south boring, information technology lacks structure and even the aesthetics that try to be the main draw are recycled from much amend movies. This is a dud all the manner through and surprisingly tasteless in more than than one way.
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