Review of Christiane F. (1981) by Miranda L — 10 Jan 2015

I read the book "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo" years ago, and liked it as well. I even took care of a patient who claimed to have been a friend of Christiane's. So, I'll admit to being partial. That said, if you like movies about heroin addicts, you'll like this movie.

"Christiana F" is a wonderfully bleak exploration of the heroin-trap. "What else can I do?" screams Detlef when Christiane catches him having sex with his sugar-daddy. Indeed, what else can one do when you need your fix? There are no sentimental moments. "Trainspotting" almost glamorized heroin; this movie does not. She turns to the drugs because of her feelings of isolation. Her addiction gives her a circle of likewise addicted "friends." I especially love how she "saves" the parakeet from starvation in her dead friend's apartment only to abandon it in an abandoned house in her quest for another hit.

I also loved her vomiting the red wine all over herself and her room while she's in withdrawal. Not a movie for the weak-stomached.

I loved the use of local dialect, and I wonder if the director just asked junkies if they'd like to be on film in some of the shots.