Außerirdische

There was a black and white Berlin with angels, now there is a black and white Berlin with aliens! Wim Wenders' angels come from far away, they are all around us, you don't see them, you feel them. Whereas the "aliens" addressed by Florian Gärtner are among us, and you ignore them, they are outcasts yet they live and love and suffer like any other human being around us. The young director (who plays also a major role in the film) learned from Wenders work and uses the same city, same camera-work, the poetry, the feelings, the sound-scape, the silences, even the color, to depict a tiny, simple yet powerful moment in the life of a young person in need of identity, of love. You will be able to read the film through different levels and find many points in common with your own life experiences. Your cozy home town somewhere in the distant country side, the alienating city, your prince of dreams, vanishing love, blinded hearts, glasses, disco pubs, student flats, the '90s or your 20s... This young director in his first work of nearly independent production reached outstanding levels of art and techniques. If you loved Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) you will appreciate Ausserirdische (Aliens).

It was a accident watching this film, zapping around at 2 AM in the morning. Because I do like black/white movies I hung on. The timeline of "Außerirdische" is magnificient; at the end the puzzle of time is solved. You simply have to rewind the tape and watch again, seeing all from an entire different point of view. The story about the gay student Max and his life and sorrows in the separated Berlin are a mirror of the city and the personal life of a gay individual. This film has knack for brilliance.