A Coffee in Berlin
Jan Ole Gerster's wry and vibrant feature debut A COFFEE IN BERLIN, paints a day in the life of Niko, a twenty-something college dropout going nowhere fast.
Niko lives for the moment as he drifts through the streets of Berlin, curiously observing everyone around him and oblivious to his growing status as an outsider. Then on one fateful day, through a series of absurdly amusing encounters, everything changes: his girlfriend rebuffs him, his father cuts off his allowance, and a strange psychiatrist dubiously confirms his 'emotional imbalance'. Unable to ignore the consequences of his passivity any longer, Niko finally concludes that he has to engage with life.
Shot in timeless black and white and enriched with a snappy jazz soundtrack, this slacker dramedy is a love letter to Berlin and the Millennial experience.
Winner of 6 German Film Academy Awards, including Outstanding Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor.
"Delightful. There's wisdom lurking in its light, witty approach. Contains echoes of Baumbach's "Frances Ha" and Scorsese's "After Hours." A rich blend of humor and sadness." - Eric Kohn, Indiewire
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Comments (10)
The best part of this film is the main character, Niko, played by the very watchable Tom Schilling and the city itself which he experiences through a string of strange encounters. Some of the people Niko comes into contact with feel like flat, side show characters, others more like authentic, ...Read more
The best part of this film is the main character, Niko, played by the very watchable Tom Schilling and the city itself which he experiences through a string of strange encounters. Some of the people Niko comes into contact with feel like flat, side show characters, others more like authentic, gritty Berliners. It is Schilling's subtle and understated reactions to them that keep the film interesting and humorous. However some of the funny and awkward scenarios lose their punch because of the over-the-top caricatures.
The film moves along at a good clip and never feels dull. The theme of the ever-evasive cup of coffee does becomes tiresome after a while. The music is often ham-handed especially the Charlie Chaplin-esque piano tracks which telegraph emotion rather than letting the audience have its own experience. The filmmaker doesn’t trust his material and his audience missing an opportunity here and robbing us of any true depth of feeling.
BTW, the subtitling loses a lot of the spicy Berliner humor and nuance.
Read lessVery atmospheric and absolutely worth watching!
Es gab kein Hakenkreutz auf der Uniform .
What does a guy gotta do to get a dang coffee?! Great film :)
This is a beautiful and thoughtful movie. The story takes place over the span of a few days during which Niko has to face the flaws in his past, and find a reason to change course. Tom Schilling is perfect in this role.
love it
alle Schauspieler sind so begabt. dieser Film hier hat mich gefreut. sehr philosophisch, gedankenvoll, berührend. ich würde es zu allen empfehlen. ein Plus ist die Jazzmusik , die im Hintergrund immer läuft.....
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Roughly translated: "all actors are so gifted. this movie was really nice. very philosophical, thoughtful, touching. I would recommend it to everyone. a plus is the jazz music, which always runs in the background ....."
Fantastic film! This is my second viewing and I almost enjoyed it more. The characters are brilliantly written and the mood of the city is very well portrayed. Love that this was the director's thesis from film school.