The runaway teenager Joe (Jana Pallaske) leaves her dysfunctional mother after being beat by her lover Harry. She meets Engel (Robert Stadlober) and his punk friends on the streets and the boy lodges her in the abandoned building where he lives. Engel tells her that he dreams on living in the mountains in a community of his own, raising animals and planting his own food, and they fall in love for each other. When Joe gets pregnant, Engel assumes the baby, but without a profession, the young couple faces serious financial difficulties and problems. When Engel gets addicted on drugs, he drags Joe to a low life including prostitution. But there is light in the mountain.
"Joe & Engel' is another dramatic screenplay of Kai Herman, the author of "Christiane F". The story is very realistic, bitter and sad, but the optimistic open conclusion relieves the tension and makes the movie more pleasant. The performances of the young Jana Pallaske and Robert Stadlober are stunning and deserved nominations to the Oscar; the absence of their names withdraws any credibility of the Oscar nominations in any credible list. This film is another great example of the excellent German cinema. I liked the cinematography, dark along the whole story, with a kind of symbolic fusion of their spirits when they make love in the swimming pool and with light when the couple reaches the mountains, transmitting a beautiful final message of hope and peace. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Nova Geração Christiane F" ("The New Generation Christiane F")
