Review of Christiane F. (1981) by Alejandro O — 06 Feb 2015

Based on the autobiography Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo by Christiane F. (Vera Christiane Felscherinow), and directed by Uli Edel, (Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), The Little Vampire (2000) and The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)), this is one of the most harrowing films ever made about prostitution and drug use, even more so because it actually happened, but it captures the era brilliantly.

Set in West Berlin in 1975, it tells the story of Christiane Felscherinow (Natja Brunckhorst), who lives with her mother and sister on the outskirts. She's a huge fan of David Bowie, and when she visits a club called Sound, she's introduced to Detlef (Thomas Haustein), who in turn introduces Christiane to drugs.

Her habit begins there, and she's only just turned 14. After meeting Babsi (Christiane Reichelt) at one of Bowie's concerts, and she introduces Christiane to heroin, something she get's badly addicted to.

Then Christiane turns to prostitution in order to fund her habit, and she soon learns the dangers of this seedy lifestyle the hard way. If there was ever a film to convince today's youth to stop drug use, this should be it.

There's a cold turkey sequence which is nearly unwatchable, and it makes what was to come in Trainspotting (1996) look tame by comparison. But, it's littered with David Bowie songs, he even made a cameo which gave the film a bit of commercial success.