"Das Jahr der ersten Küsse" or "The Year of the First Kiss" is a German German-language movie from 2002, so this one is already over 15 years old. Director is Kai Wessel, who is probably thanks to his longtime experience in the industry way more known than writer Sathyan Ramesh. The cast includes only 2 somewhat known names (as of today), namely Oliver Korittke who was a much bigger star back then than he is today and Max Mauff who it seems like managed to transition into becoming a successful actor now during the days of his adulthood and not just a child actor as we see him here. This cannot be said about most of the others in this one, some of them vanished completely from films, others ended up in weak daily soap operas. Anyway, their effort here isn't too shabby. The flashback sequences, which are almost the entire film, were good to watch and interesting and a nice little film about teenage school life and coming of age while struggling with attraction, love, sexuality and sujects like moving place, divorce or even domestic violence, not all of this only about the protagonist. It felt real. The drama was nothing bigger than all we experienced when we were Tristan's age, but it feels much more important and significant from his personal perspective and that is a good thing because it makes the film infinitely more interesting. The supporting characters and their (lack of) impact on Tristan's life feel authentic too. The one thing that did nothing for me, however, was the frame that is basically nothing than Korittke standing in front of a window and remembering his childhood. It should have been left out completely. The pseudo-tragic ending just did not feel right at all either I must say. This was never a film about selling us the girl as his true love as it tries to eventually, which is just wrong especially the comments on cheating and how she is perfectly fine with it almost. They should have done without the Korittke parts entirely and I may have given it an even higher rating. But this is a negative deal breaker absolutely. I guess they really wanted the big name actor on board and he did not fit in anywhere else in the film, certainly not as the girl's violent dad. the death at the very end tries to make clear to us that tragedy can always happen unexpectedly and make us mourn about this terrible loss right after they finally got together, but as for me it did not succeed at all from that perspective. I would say cut out the Korritke parts and watch everything else just, but this would be too complicated I guess. So you have to sit through these I'm afraid. But I hope you will be able to appreciate everything else as much as I did. There is some cult potential there and there is some nice charm and attention to detail in this movie if you look beyond the ridiculous references like a teenager masturbating 6 times a day. It's not really for the comedy, it's not a funny movie to be honest, but it's one that may bring you back to your childhood on some occasions. Also ignore the title, it has almost nothing to do with the film. See it.
3 Reviews
"Maybe you should eat something to soak up the alcohol"
ChWasser10 October 2002
What do you get when you mix a coming of age drama, a teen comedy and a nostalgic flashback to 1985 ? Well, in this case you get a wonderful movie (especially appealing to those people who were teenagers in the 80ies), which is neither too broad/gross nor overly sentimental (except for the present-day frame story). Apparently you also have a marketing problem: sadly this seems to become another undeserved flop at the German box office.
The main forte of "Das Jahr der ersten Küsse" are the actors: I've rarely seen such a good ensemble of young actors (most of them giving their debut), who really are the age of the characters they're playing for a change instead of 22 year-olds playing 15 year-olds as in most Hollywood movies. Every one of them (especially Rebecca Hessing, but also Max Mauff, Nina Asseng and Luana Bellinghausen) is perfectly cast and acts very natural.
The main weakness of the film is the tempo: the unnecessary frame story and voice-over narration (first person to boot, which is usually a bad idea), the frequent "fade-to-blacks" (a stylistic device which was also overused in another recent German film, "Wie Feuer und Flamme") and the relatively long takes, all make this movie slower than it needs to be. If a bit more were happening plot-wise (like a disco visit of the clique, for example) this could have been balanced, but unfortunately the actual story is a little thin. Two minor quibbles that I have with the film are the freedom which the turkish girl Tümai enjoys (in 1985 she probably would've had a father like Simone's, who wouldn't allow her anything) and the fact that 15 year-olds still play bottle tricks. Today's teenagers may indeed have their first sex earlier, but 17 years ago teenagers were not *that* naive either.
As an overall rating I'd still give this movie 8/10 (despite the mentioned flaws), because it gives such a likeable and realistic portrait of German teens in the 80ies.
The main forte of "Das Jahr der ersten Küsse" are the actors: I've rarely seen such a good ensemble of young actors (most of them giving their debut), who really are the age of the characters they're playing for a change instead of 22 year-olds playing 15 year-olds as in most Hollywood movies. Every one of them (especially Rebecca Hessing, but also Max Mauff, Nina Asseng and Luana Bellinghausen) is perfectly cast and acts very natural.
The main weakness of the film is the tempo: the unnecessary frame story and voice-over narration (first person to boot, which is usually a bad idea), the frequent "fade-to-blacks" (a stylistic device which was also overused in another recent German film, "Wie Feuer und Flamme") and the relatively long takes, all make this movie slower than it needs to be. If a bit more were happening plot-wise (like a disco visit of the clique, for example) this could have been balanced, but unfortunately the actual story is a little thin. Two minor quibbles that I have with the film are the freedom which the turkish girl Tümai enjoys (in 1985 she probably would've had a father like Simone's, who wouldn't allow her anything) and the fact that 15 year-olds still play bottle tricks. Today's teenagers may indeed have their first sex earlier, but 17 years ago teenagers were not *that* naive either.
As an overall rating I'd still give this movie 8/10 (despite the mentioned flaws), because it gives such a likeable and realistic portrait of German teens in the 80ies.
Das Jahr der ersten Küsse - The 80's in Germany in one film
eightylicious10 April 2022
Emmanuelle, a French singer, knew what she said when she sang (in translation) "It is not forgotten, when it's the very first time". She was referring to the first kiss. Despite being made a decade later, in a different country, "Das Jahr der ersten Küsse" shows that too. In this case, that kiss is just the occasion to do a little tour of Germany in the 80's, as experienced by a group of teenagers.
The protagonist, and narrator of the story is 15 year-old Tristan. Everything in his life is going well; he has a group of friends, all of them loving in their way, and his parents have no troubles in their relationship. All this changes when they start arguing, and, as if of a sudden, they decide to divorce. Tristan is devastated. Not only has he to leave his neighborhood in order to live with his mother, but he still hasn't managed to kiss his crush, Kerstin. Knowing that he has no time left, he puts all his effort to make this teenage dream come true.
If this sounds innocent, don't be fooled. Teenage enthusiasm runs rampant in this coming-of-age film, with the teens experimenting with drugs, and having their first albeit mild, sexual experiences. Still, this is no reason for one to be turned off. The film offers an extremely realistic portrayal of teenage behaviour, that is, a mix of childishness and relevant maturity. The friends support each other, especially the one who comes from an abusive household. It is though them that she can find joy. Instead of the quite ironic view on teenagers that other films offer, this one doesn't try at all to teach moral lessons. It promotes carelessness and happiness, these two being maybe the most important characteristics of teenage psychology.
The age in which this film takes place was also one of carelessness. And it was shown with detail during the film. The atmosphere of the era comes off from every aspect of the film. Tristan has wallpapers of stars in his room from the famous teen magazine BRAVO, then one of the most pioneering publications related to teenagers. The friends organise parties where they dance slows, like their favourite movie characters from "La Boum". Opus's "Live is life" plays, as Tristan enters the party room. Aerobic shows play on TV, and Tristan's mum follows the moves of the presenter. The teenagers go to dance school, it being one of the most popular extracurricular activities in which their parents sent them, wanting them to find their hidden talents.
Most importantly, the feeling of freedom that characterised this time exists. For all the problems around them, the heroes continue living their lives as if there's no tomorrow. Not yet affected from the environmental tragedies of the late 80's, - the movie takes place in 1985- they have no worries, and spend their days wondering how to win each other's hearts.
Friendship is everything for these heroes. For, they live in a time where the only way to communicate is through letters, and in some cases, the telephone. This is why when Tristan leaves for his new home, we can't but feel pity for him. We can't but think that he was born a little too early. Now, distance friendships can be kept more easily. Or so it seems. But can this age of of constant anxiety be compared with Tristan's one, the one of nostalgia, the one of innocence? It depends. But this film provides a portrait of this age that mostly emphasizes the positive elements, and through them, constructs an image that partly fails to recognise the negative aspects. We mustn't forget that the heroes lived through the Cold War.
It seems as if they forgot that. As if this wasn't their business. For them, what was important was to cherish the moments of happiness stemming from the fact that they were teenagers. This was the generation that would later elevate their age to the reputation it enjoys today. For, aside from the amazing films, the unforgettable TV shows, and the legendary magazines, this when they also had one of the most significant experiences of teenage life.
The first kiss.
The protagonist, and narrator of the story is 15 year-old Tristan. Everything in his life is going well; he has a group of friends, all of them loving in their way, and his parents have no troubles in their relationship. All this changes when they start arguing, and, as if of a sudden, they decide to divorce. Tristan is devastated. Not only has he to leave his neighborhood in order to live with his mother, but he still hasn't managed to kiss his crush, Kerstin. Knowing that he has no time left, he puts all his effort to make this teenage dream come true.
If this sounds innocent, don't be fooled. Teenage enthusiasm runs rampant in this coming-of-age film, with the teens experimenting with drugs, and having their first albeit mild, sexual experiences. Still, this is no reason for one to be turned off. The film offers an extremely realistic portrayal of teenage behaviour, that is, a mix of childishness and relevant maturity. The friends support each other, especially the one who comes from an abusive household. It is though them that she can find joy. Instead of the quite ironic view on teenagers that other films offer, this one doesn't try at all to teach moral lessons. It promotes carelessness and happiness, these two being maybe the most important characteristics of teenage psychology.
The age in which this film takes place was also one of carelessness. And it was shown with detail during the film. The atmosphere of the era comes off from every aspect of the film. Tristan has wallpapers of stars in his room from the famous teen magazine BRAVO, then one of the most pioneering publications related to teenagers. The friends organise parties where they dance slows, like their favourite movie characters from "La Boum". Opus's "Live is life" plays, as Tristan enters the party room. Aerobic shows play on TV, and Tristan's mum follows the moves of the presenter. The teenagers go to dance school, it being one of the most popular extracurricular activities in which their parents sent them, wanting them to find their hidden talents.
Most importantly, the feeling of freedom that characterised this time exists. For all the problems around them, the heroes continue living their lives as if there's no tomorrow. Not yet affected from the environmental tragedies of the late 80's, - the movie takes place in 1985- they have no worries, and spend their days wondering how to win each other's hearts.
Friendship is everything for these heroes. For, they live in a time where the only way to communicate is through letters, and in some cases, the telephone. This is why when Tristan leaves for his new home, we can't but feel pity for him. We can't but think that he was born a little too early. Now, distance friendships can be kept more easily. Or so it seems. But can this age of of constant anxiety be compared with Tristan's one, the one of nostalgia, the one of innocence? It depends. But this film provides a portrait of this age that mostly emphasizes the positive elements, and through them, constructs an image that partly fails to recognise the negative aspects. We mustn't forget that the heroes lived through the Cold War.
It seems as if they forgot that. As if this wasn't their business. For them, what was important was to cherish the moments of happiness stemming from the fact that they were teenagers. This was the generation that would later elevate their age to the reputation it enjoys today. For, aside from the amazing films, the unforgettable TV shows, and the legendary magazines, this when they also had one of the most significant experiences of teenage life.
The first kiss.
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