We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (2021) User Reviews

Too enjoyable to watch for the story it represents

[chris-heilmann · 6/10 · 12 April 2021]

If you were born in or around the 80s in Germany, there was no way around "Christiane F. - wir Kinder von Bahnhof Zoo". The 1978 book and following 1981 movie was part of the school curriculum to scare students straight about the effects of drugs. And with good reason. The story of Christiane, fast-tracking into Heroin addiction and becoming a prostitute at the age of 13 is shocking and was an important message to tell. Fast forward to now where Amazon took on the material to create a 8 episode series out of it in hope to make the message resound better to a newer generation. And it is an OK experience. Whilst in the original story the cast was small and the people Christiane met were either abusers or her unreliable junkie boyfriend here we get introduced to a group of people. Christiane, who tries to fit in with the cool crowd at school and fast tracking into drugs that way. Stella, the tough girl whose alcoholic mother owns a pub and suffers assault in many different ways. Babsi, a very young posh girl who is suicidal and suffers from the loss of her father. Benno, the dysfunctional boyfriend and a right tosser. Michael, who is there to also take drugs and has a crush on Benno. And Axel, a long haired ginger guy (so you know he is a good one) who is a functioning heroin taker. He's the one that has a job, gets up in time and reminds the others to try to sort out their lives. Add to this the families of all the characters and there is a lot to cover and often the show meanders into too much detail. There are also dream sequences that feel odd. The first scene shows an older Christiane on a private plane party with David Bowie (I think, not much resemblance there) and then it flashes back to "8 years earlier". We never get back to this story and I have no idea why that is in there.

All in all the show is beautifully shot, the acting is great and as with any drug related movie, the soundtrack is incredible. It is time well spent watching it and was quite an effort to make. However, it is let down by its script and writing. Instead of being a shocking display of a horrendous story, the disgusting and horrible parts are played down and the fun parts of drugs, the partying and the coolness of people is amped up. You feel like the makers tried to take a pinch of Tarantino, 24 hour party people, Train Spotting and a lot of Guy Ritchie an make a "cool" version of the story. You don't see much syringe marks or utterly messed up people. People come out fresh as a daisy after a night on the horse. The sugar daddies the girls get are complacent and dysfunctional, not overstepping any agreements. When the group all prostitute themselves they stay freelance - there are no abusive pimps or depictions of the extortion of the already down-on-their-luck people. The biggest criticism has to be that people look too good. The "junkie chic" is strong in this one and even more annoying is that the girls are depicted as much older than they were in reality. I guess making 13 year olds play prostitutes on screen went out of fashion with Taxi Driver. This show is good, but it is too enjoyable to watch. It's been stripped of the realities of the book and padded with too many characters and some B-stories that go nowhere at all. Take 10% of the disgusting depictions in "The Golden Glove" and tone down the "first it is really cool to do drugs..." and you would have had a worthy successor to an incredibly important story.

Let us criticize only what deserves to be criticized!

[contatorfa · 7/10 · 24 February 2021]

If I could say just one thing about the series, it would be: This will find its audience in those who don't know the story. That is why it would be impossible to finish any analysis with just that, after all, what is the potential audience that is over 12 years old and has never even heard of Christiane's story, especially among Germans, Austrians and Swiss, who is the initial audience to which the series was redirected and where will much of the strength of the analysis come from? It is logical that there will always be people who will not know, but the series makes us believe that there is an entire audience thirsty for knowing a story that has only been heard, and that will not be disappointed to find, at most, 30% of the original story. The series goes beyond creative freedom: take what is, put what is not and model biographies that, I imagine, obligatorily a large part of people will watch each other to appreciate, even if different ... and will not find. But we need to be frank: the look is not a problem! This is critical of those who have not yet seen or have in the 1981 book and film a very solid base of expectations that are not supposed to be broken. The costume is incredible within the proposal in which the whole story was put together. If it is analyzed in isolation, it sucks! It is extremely difficult to go through pain and suffering with addicted young prostitutes dressed in fabulous fashion. Because someone with historical lace and golden boots would prostitute himself, or, you don't need to know that Christiane's jacket is Valentino (and it is!), Just know that, being what it is, a Mongolian goatskin jacket, it would never be in hands of an addict! This is not even analysis, it is consistency! How far does the lack of consistency go to make things beautiful? In fact, is there beauty at this point in history? So, everything is very pointless in favor of what is cool. Anyone could refute my comments by saying that the series has a less moralizing intention. I agree, not only with this with the intention, to offer a new look, that the characters are less zoo animals and more human ... But there is no suffering, not enough, there is no solid counterpoint. And to what extent is it possible AND ACCEPTABLE to make such a strong story without any moral weight? No story is made simply to tell. This does not count either the real one or any other with enough weight. Would I still advise to attend? I would advise, without a doubt, as long as the focus is maintained: The first step is to totally forget that it has the same name as a real story. Forget about it entirely and enjoy the series, because it is possible. It is perfect in creating your own universe and all the value spent is possible to see yourself at all times. It allows a superficial contact with Christiane F. and unlike the 1981 film, you can sleep (and don't tell me that Uli Edel's film tells more about her, because it doesn't! I love the film, but it shows pain and suffering and It may be better, but the series should not be neglected for that reason, comparisons of this type should not be made because they do not translate anything.) And finally, the third and last reason: it is light, clean and beautiful, and on that again fall the criticisms made above.

Fancy, yet still not pulling punches

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 26 February 2021]

I totally understand, that if you have seen the Original movie from the 80s, you won't feel comfortable with this. Or it is very likely that you don't feel this movie at all. You are missing the grittiness, the dirtiness of the original. This actually is a more modern and more smooth looking approach and retelling of the source material.

That being said, it does not mean it shies away from some very irritating and disturbing things that happen to the characters here. And because this is a show, that spans 8 episodes, it is able to dive further into those characters. Which gives them more motivation and gives them more background. It works in the shows favor.

The actors really do their best and this new take will either enlighten you (better to try something different than just copy something 1 to 1, yes?) or annoy you. Be open minded if you can and you get more in depth - since I have not read the source material, I can't say how much is still probably missing from it. But it does look like we get a lot more than the original film was able to convey - just due to running time issues alone

not as good as the movie, but however an interesting show.

[horrorules · 7/10 · 9 May 2021]

Uli Edel's originale movie is better than this show, but, however I find Philipp Kadelbach did a good job of telling an intense and painful story, but what I appreciated most is the performance of the young actors, all very talented, in particular Jana MacKinnon, who is truly exceptional in the role of Christianne.

In collective this new version of the story is not great, but not bad either, it is good and this is enough for me and advances.

This is NOT about Christiane, it's about SIX kids.

[jessupree · 10/10 · 27 February 2021]

Everyone who complains about the show being not like book, well guess what? That's what it says in the beginning of every episode! It is based on the book but also contains very good storylines about her five friends! If it would be just about Christiane, we wouldn't need 8 episodes, we would just need another movie. The series is very good and it shows so much more than the movie. Many more details, her grandparents house, where she detoxes and so on. You can not compare this to the movie and it doesn't try to be the movie.

A modern key interpretation

[chiaramariecapritta · 7/10 · 13 May 2021]

I understand people when they say that the book and the first movie maybe have a lot more of impact that this series. What I think is that this series in order to touch a more juvenile public had to use some expedients like the way characters dress or the soundtracks, of course you can't watch it expecting to be just like the first movie, the series has a more modern interpretation, in my opinion it still has a strong impact just as much as the first movie, there are a lot of good shots and I think that in the end it's not that bad, it deserves a chance.

Better read the book or watch the original film from the 80's

[mapika · 3/10 · 19 February 2021]

It's so wrong in so many places, I don't know where to start.

The original movie was both, repulsing and fascinating at the same time. It felt true and authentic to Christiane F's life story, described in her book.

This series is the total opposite: a sterile, high gloss wannabe Hollywood version. It shows the horrors of drugs and prostitution in a polished and stylish way. The kids almost never really behave and look drugged and cynically even seem to enjoy prostitution. Why?!

Also it just doesn't feel like the 70's. Contemporary, mostly happy pop music (except of some original Bowie songs) meets modern fantasy boho retro 70ish to 90ish clothing and props style... Not to mention the 21st century interpretation of the kid's disco "Sound". Why?! My guess: the urge to come across original and creative took overhand.

What works with fiction like f.i. "Peaky Blinders", where alternative contemporary music fits perfectly in the raw and brutal 1900s mob scenery, doesn't necessarily work with every story. Especially with true ones it just feels wrong. This has neither much to do with the 70's, nor the book, except the title. If this would be an original fictional story, it might work. But nevertheless for me it lacks interesting characters and a gripping storyline.

This series is mostly about style. The camera is excellent and most of the actors are good, some are implausible (f.i. The David Bowie double). Therefore 3 stars. But please, see for yourself!

Raw, Dark and Depressing.

[Imme-van-Gorp · 9/10 · 28 January 2023]

Rating: 9/10

Themes: Drama, Drugs, Addiction, Prostitution, Minors, Relationships, Death, Partying & German.

Review: Wow, this series was definitely intense. It's one thing to see characters who are addicts or prostitutes, but it's another to see the story of how an innocent and naive teenager slowly becomes an addict and prostitute from beginning to end. The descent and downfall of each of these characters was absolutely devastating and heartbreaking to watch. None of them could be described as 'likable' perse (especially not later on), but that wasn't the point. The point was their initial innocence, and how easily it was for all of them to go on a downwards spiral: Just one moment, one conversation or one person led to the ruin of their entire lives. It was impossible not to feel sorry for them as their helplessness and desperation was leaking from every pore. The execution of this series was honestly just exceptionally well done in my opinion.

Also, I just want to quickly mention some of the reviews that said this series somehow "glamorizes" drugs or prostitution, as I'm genuinely confused if I watched the same show as these people or not. Truly, if you watched this series from start to finish and you were left with a feeling along the lines of: "Wow, that looks like so much fun and it seems super cool! I want to do that too!", then I would recommend you seek professional help because that's abnormal. This series most definitely did NOT glamorize any of its topics, and I can assure any potential watchers that that will become glaringly obvious to anyone who plans to pay even a bit of attention to the characters and the progression of their storylines.

Enjoyable as a stand-alone

[franki-teckno42 · 6/10 · 29 August 2021]

If you want to watch this series, you cannot view it as some sort of remake of the show or some form of book-turned-movie. They took the core story of Christiane and turned it into a series that in itself is very enjoyable and entertaining - but not true to the original story itself.

The acting is great, the visuals are amazing, same are the outfits and settings. But this show glorifies all the topics and problems the originals tried to warn about. Drugs, withdrawal, relapse, peer-pressure, prostitution. While the show was great and got me hooked from the start, it left a bitter after-taste to see it being so bright, colorful and the overall tone so happy knowing that there were real lives lost in Christiane's friend circle due to heroin.

Feels almost cynical

[KaZenPhi · 3/10 · 20 February 2021]

When the original book about Christiane F's live as a teenage drug addict and prostitute in West Berlin was released in the late seventies it shocked a whole nation that had turned a blind eye to some of its most vulnerable people. It's still a stunning read that lost none of its power, a lurid and detailed description of a youth lost, of love and death, hope and despair. Despite its graphic content it's become a classic that is still being read in schools. The 1981 film version was a bit sanitized by comparison, still effective in showing the grime and dirt of West Berlin's drug scene at the time, often filmed at the real locations guerilla style. Unfortunately it plays a bit too sensationalist and ditched much of the nuance and details of the book in favor of a more classic cautionary tale narrative. I'm not a big fan but admittedly it still retained a lot of the core strengths of the book.

To me the interesting question in regards to this new modern loose adaptation of Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is: who thought it was a good idea to make heroine use, addiction and survival sex so glossy, stylish, sexy, hip and palpable to a current teenage audience?

Many movies that deal with addiction like Trainspotting, Spun, Requiem for a dream and even the 1981 Christiane F. version have been accused of accidentally or intentionally glorifying elements of drug use with its creative visuals and stylish filmmaking. I would personally disagree with a lot of these assessments, I think it's necessary to show the highs of drugs so an audience can more easily understand why people would destroy themselves for such substances, but it's a fair point to argue. However the remake of Bahnhof Zoo just goes so far that I can't in good conscience defend any of it. The overwhelming success of the book and original movie inadvertently turned many of its real life protagonists into counter culture icons with devastating personal results, especially for main protagonist Christiane F herself, the Amazon Prime series seems to try to do that intentionally. The constant glamour shots, slow-mo walking, stylish outfits, driving EDM beats, the cool and swagger of heroine chic. While the series eventually touches some of the darker aspects of these kids' lives, even that abyss is illuminated mostly with gloss and a sense of exciting danger rather than introspection and gravitas. Given the harrowing real life tales the original story is based on all the stylistic choices to make this an entertaining coming of age show first and foremost, strike me as tone-deaf at best and cynical at worst.

There are huge issues with the direction of this show. In any other circumstance the mixing of different time periods could be an interesting idea. We have a 70s esque city scape, lots of 80s and 90s fashion, contrasted with modern electronic dance music in the countless club scenes that are populated with current age looking appealing young people. The makers explained in interviews that they wanted a more timeless tale that younger people could more easily relate too but setting it fully in modern times would change the story too much. The problem with that is: the original story isn't timeless by any means. Its themes and psychological underpinnings are, but Christiane F's story is a time capsule, a distinctly West German tale from the late seventies. Even less than a decade later the drug scene in Berlin had already changed completely and no longer aligned at all with the book, let alone now 40 years later. If you want to do it justice you either have to do a detailed period piece or a complete modernization based on the current situation in the same scene (which would require lots of research and that sounds like too much work, I agree). Sadly they ended up doing a bad mixture of both. Borrowing whatever West Berlin chic and David Bowie cool they could afford, to ride on the enduring brand appeal of Bahnhof Zoo and the current wave of retro Berlin fascination, mixing it with 2020s advertising aesthetics for mass international appeal. The next may sound like a minor point but it illustrates the larger problem: I personally love Bowie dearly but the ubiquitous presence of his music and likeness is completely at odds with the modern sound and visuals of the show, but because it is such an integral part of the Christiane F. brand they of course couldn't not use it. I'm sorry but I just can't see anything but cynical marketing decisions behind every creative choice made in this show.

And it's such a bummer too. There is a lot of amazing fresh acting talent on display here. The extended length of a series compared to a film means you could have more faithfully adapted the book. Had they committed to a better thought out period play the high budget could have lead to a detailed and charming resurrection of 1970s West Berlin, a remarkable city now long gone.

Even if you ignore the exploitive nature of the series (remember: this is all based on real people, most of them children or youths at the time) it's just not a well-told show. It's boring, it lacks structure and even the aesthetics that try to be the main draw are recycled from much better movies. This is a dud all the way through and surprisingly tasteless in more than one way.

I don't quite get all the negative reviews.

[movieturtle2013 · 8/10 · 28 April 2021]

Sure, the show isn't as raw as the movie. I haven't read the book so I can't judge in that area.

What the show does well is building characters. It goes deeper into the struggles of each of them. The acting is great. Standouts would be Babsi and Michi.

The cinematography is also unique and fits the theme very well. It is very harsh and has many shocking moments, making them seem almost normal towards the end.

Sometimes the show misses the tone. Also the costumes are all over the place. It is supposed to play in the 70s, yet the clothing and music doesn't align but it didn't bother me too much. It had some good songs.

The show is very graphic and directs a lot of violence and hardship towards the characters (main and side). It grapples the negative effects addiction as well, not just for the addict but for their loved ones too (which I appreciated, given that it is missing in the movie).

The viewer slowly loses hope that the group of teens is going to get clean, offering insight of the hopelessness each of them feel.

In the end, I was surprised by the series and found myself to enjoy it and be invested in the characters.

I think what is important to note is that this was only based on the real life events of Christiane F. A lot of it was fabricated, making it it's own show.

Ok-ish

[e-mininno · 7/10 · 29 May 2021]

Quite a nice omagge to the cult movie of 1981 -and the book of 1978-. A true editorial case back in the days. Everybody from Europe can truly find some (some) nice clue of the original atmospheric situation of both the original cults.

Actors are finally ... actors -but unprofessional young students in the original movie had some effectiveness-, but everything is too glossy.

In fact it is a situation staged in the present time, just without mobile phones.

The music, the style, and everything related to the historic ambient, the atmosphere has been mixed up: Bowie tracks at the sound, but a Techno by a Star DJ that back then was not even a thing, backtoback .

Yeah the music is ... back from the future (ep1 is just a bit better from this point of view).

Therefore, the 6 main characters made a travel in the late '70s, but every now and then they come back.

Heroin experience is told in a too fast, too unrealistic way.

Everything could have been used better, without the risk of pushing away the younger public, if more attention would had been used for the vintage aspects of the production.

A nice nostalgic operation, nice idea mediocre execution. Please watch it ONLY if already had the original, not the other way around.

Ciao.

Who is this series for?

[your crowbar · 4/10 · 22 February 2021]

I believe this series is supposed to happen in a parallel universe, in a fantasy land. Not because of the intentional anachronisms (modern music even though the action is set in the 70s, for example); but because I highly doubt the Berlin shown here has ever existed.

All club scenes seem to be made for people who have never set foot in a techno party. The club itself looks immaculate and everybody has space to dance; nobody is dripping with sweat; and the music is laughably tame (come on, at least play stuff with some edge! This is Berlin!).

The series looks great. Obscenely great. People wear the most wonderful clothes, even though they have no money. A character is about to commit suicide and the scene could be framed and hanged on a wall. There's an orgy party more baroque than the one in Eyes Wide Shut. It's almost admirable, as if the creators have decided: "let's do a story about teenagers getting addicted to drugs and turning to prostitution, but the whole thing will be LIT." Had this been a dare, I could perhaps admire the audacity. But the creators wanna have their cake and eat it, too: so here and there you'll have someone from the young cast looking horrible, beaten, destroyed. It never lasts long though: soon after there'll be more glamorous shots (no pun intended) for the viewer. I kept myself thinking about the incredible make-up abilities of the characters: they manage to go from scabs-in-the-face ugly in one scene to breakfast-with-mom-looking-fresh in the next.

And who's the audience for this? Teenagers who will be scared by the drug world, but might be seduced by the fabulous clothes and cool attitude of the young cast? Adults who want to see an aseptic version of Christiane F.'s story? I honestly don't know. I watched the whole thing wondering that. And now I wonder if there is any reason for this series to exist.

Dont believe in unfair reviews

[info-24326 · 9/10 · 20 February 2021]

True, it isnt a remake, but it isnt a bad show, a few little errors here and there but nothing what is real bad.

Wrong Message

[Sabine95 · 2/10 · 23 February 2021]

I read the book at least 5 times, saw the film at least 3 times and was shocked every time. That's exactly why I've been looking forward to the series for over a year. My expectations weren't high, but what I saw here made me angry. Angry because it had so much potential. With 8 hours you could have achieved so much, but the only thing the film communicated to me was "everything wasn't that bad". Here I describe a few examples why (Spoilers!)

• The best example is probably Axel: He was addicted to heroin from episode 1, but also did his apprenticeship at the same time. He worked there for the whole series (until his death) and even received the certificate, even though he was addicted to heroin. This gives the impression: Even if you are a drug addict, you can still achieve a lot. And that is wrong - in the book everyone quit the job and did child prostitution because they had no more time for work or school. His death came as a surprise because you couldn't tell that he was so exhausted from heroin. He looked fine and good. Same with Matze - in the last scene before his death he looked like he came straight from the hairdresser. You did NOT see that they were close to death at all.

• The happy child prostitution montage just left a big question mark. "Let's show them how to do it" says Stella and happily the three girls go to the cars and look forward (???) to drive away with the men. In no scene you can see that the children are disgusted by what they have to do for the money. You can not tell that they only do it because they need money for H. It almost looks like they see it as a good job opportunity to do for the rest of their lives. (For example Stella at the end.)

• The whole withdrawal (I hope that is the correct word for "Entzug" in English) was just a joke. I feel worse with the flu than what they showed. Hanging a little bit over the toilet, sweating for a few hours and lying in bed all day. Finished? Exactly here you could have shown that if you want to realize your dreams, you must get through a lot of pain. And not just for a few days. But for months and years.

• In the end, Christiane moves to her grandma to get away from the tough drug scene in Berlin. In the book, however, she relapses very often with, for example, alcohol, and even in the film there is a short final scene where Christiane says that although she no longer lives in Berlin, she is still afraid of it and only very few manage to get away from it (at least from H). The series describes the ending with the song "The Dog days are over" by Florence + the Machine. Christiane is happy without drugs; her new life can begin - the real Christiane says about this in her autobiography "My Second Life" from 2013: "I was convinced that I would no longer relapse. But the blackest chapter of my life was still ahead of me." So again, here the series could have shown that she still has to struggle after all these years. That drugs (especially H) is not a weekend drug that you can take whenever you want and when you want to stop, you just stop and live your life how you want. That is NOT the reality.

Conclusion: It's a shame that the series didn't dare to show the negative side more. By that I mean the harsh truth and seeing disgusting pictures. Everything is polished up. Only from episode 7 (it has 8 episodes) on, it does get a little less gloomy, but it still doesn't leave you with the feeling you had with the book or the film back then. No, quite the reverse! The series kind of left me hopeful and like I wrote before, everything seems not as bad as you think of drugs. And I really hope that this was not the intention of the writers. Because if I would not have read the book or saw the movie, I would not think that H would ruin your life for ever.

Don't trust the old typical "Original movie and book was better" crybabys!

[milladjaweed · 9/10 · 20 February 2021]

Awesome and fantastic visuals, great camerawork, great acting and really catchy, dramatic and thrilling storyline. The only flaw is that the atmosphere might be a bit too "clean" when it comes to the terrifying picture of drug addiction and sourcing, but still shows it overall. Stick with it until episode 3 without comparing it too much to the book or the old movie and you'll very likely rate it better than expected.

This is just a 480 minute long Indie Dream Pop music video

[mark01254 · 4/10 · 21 February 2021]

There's not much else left to say. Cinematography is decent, some of the actors deliver a pretty good performance (Angeline Häntsch, Bruno Alexander, Gerhard Liebmann, Bernd Hölscher) - the main character's, however, is not really convincing at times. Other than that, it's completely overproduced, drifting away from reality since minute 1. A rather cringeworthy take on David Bowie, massive overuse of soundtracks, it just feels like a never ending music video, picking up overly idealized stories of the character's lives. The "Sound" Disco looks more like a high-priced elite club of the 21st century in the US.

It's like they tried to take the whole Stranger Things fictional 80's retro vibe filter featuring fantasy content and apply it to a surprisingly uncritical story about drug addiction of Berlin's troubled youth in the 70's experiencing a mild existential crisis.

They lost me for good when they actually muted Bowie's song Heroes, the masterpiece that was carrying the atmosphere throughout the 1981 film "Christiane F.", after a few seconds just to fade in some somber piano cover of Sia's Chandelier. Not a bad song, but completely misplaced!

And that's one of the problems I have with this adaptation. It's a total overkill of dramatic elements, fake snow, wind machines, close-up shots and fake tears. It's similar to what happens to a good photo when you start tweaking and using Instagram filters...

Great Show with talented young actors

[PaxtonMalloy · 8/10 · 22 February 2021]

As so often I see people comparing it to the book or the film. Stop doing that. There is no obligation to to stay totally true to that. It is called creative freedom.

Now I am born in 1981 in (West-)Berlin and therefore the area around the Bahnhof Zoo was basically the center of the west. So I can tell you they definitely caught the look and feel of the area, even though part of its made up. The "aisle" diagonally opposite of the train station where Christiane walks down to the more shadier area never existed. So kudos the the CGI guys because this way they create this darker place that is down below where all the bad stuff happens. And so the first thing the show does great is building this world in that Christiane lives.

There is a lot great acting in here. The best ones are Bern Hölscher as the pet shop owner, Lena Urzendowsky as Stella, of course Jana McKinnon as Christiane. But even more so Lea Dindra as Babsi. Her performance was incredible and I am still moved days later by it. She is a future star.

Now even though I am German I very rarely approve of the show- and filmmaking from here. But this immediately captured me. It has good actors, good world building, a great score and is visually very appealing. That the story is as gripping as is it is disturbing should't need to be said because otherwise it wouldn't lived on even 40 years later.Great show with a lot of talented young actors

An insult to the book

[judithdrexhage_3 · 3/10 · 9 April 2021]

I grew up as a teenager being allowed to read the book , cause my parents thought it would be good to know what addiction is and what it does. Reading the book , you felt horrified, understood their dispair and wished for them to get out . It broke your heart many times.

The oppositie happened with the series. To me it felt like an insult to the peolle that lived through it and didn't take addiction to heroin serious.

The scènes, where they prostitutie themselves for heroin was like watching a fashionshow, while in reality those kids we're desperate for a shot and all their mony went to heroin. It was in no way realistic and just glamourized it. Sad ,cause they could have gone in depth with a series, but it stayed on the service. Very shallow and subject just wasn't taken seriously.

Different than book and movie from the 81st but great!!!

[AngryChainsaw · 8/10 · 6 March 2021]

Me, as a person who was lucky to save soul from this hell, and know lot about drug abuse or drug addiction. I tell just few things: I meet my wife at Institute of Addiction Illness, we have 11 years old boy who is great in school and great in every way, we bought new duplex apartment and I'm clean more than 10 years. Of course I must go occasionally to control's at Institute and I still use my therapy... But this movie in some romantic way describes all that unknown world of young drug addict and it's done great. This TV Shows must be obligated for the all parent because in this show we can clearly see how junkies can be creative when is stored about heroin, which this TV shows shows in a unique way the daily manipulation of drug addicts, hiding drugs, finding temporary accommodation, quickly making action when it comes to find money for heroin as well as all the fun that heroin carries with it, but only at beginning...

it just feels wrong

[toktok1 · 4/10 · 19 February 2021]

In the original book Christiane F is a 13 year old child and in the original movie she is played by a little 13 year old girl. so it seems odd that in this version Christiane is played by a 18 year old woman, dressed and groomed like an adult and wearing makeup like a grown woman and yet seems oblivious to the fact that women have periods. it is not a bad show but if you expect anything like the original you will be disappointed.

I liked it.

[jureop · 9/10 · 3 March 2021]

I liked it. A lot of people would say it's not dirty enough, that at times their lives seem too cool and fun. But it would be unrealistic to only show the bad sides of drugs. People start using because drugs often offer an escape from reality. That's why the club they go to looks all posh and embellished. Some scenes are painted much nicer. But the series also shows the dire consequences of substance abuse and addiction.

If things are shown too grim and depressing you can't relate with the main character, you can't understand why the main character is making all the bad choices.

A Complete Failure

[dk777 · 1/10 · 12 April 2021]

It's really disappointing to watch another complete failure that could have been interesting.

The series is unfortunately another polished project that has absolutely nothing to do with reality. Drug addicts don't have the perfect skin tone, they don't have the perfect hairstyle and clothes that seem to have arrived that moment from the shelves of an expensive store that sells only designer clothes.

Unfortunately, the show failed to show us the spirit and atmosphere of that decade, it just looks unconvincing and artificial.

When you see real photos of these characters, when you see their tortured faces, you will see that this attempt to glamorize drugs and prostitution really has nothing to do with the real world.

A complete failure that is simply not worth watching.

Just brilliant!

[philadams-98723 · 10/10 · 26 April 2021]

This series is based on a previous book & film(Christian F.) about very young heroin users in West Berlin in the late 70s. It is shocking & sad that this drug sends them into the deepest depravity. This series doesn't glam up heroin use but shows the fallout, death & degradation for all to see.

The soundtrack is incredible as is the acting & characterization. I don't know why this series is scoring low. I was taken on an emotional roller coaster ride & found it very compelling, if somewhat uncomfortable viewing. Highly recommended!

Would a rose by any other name smell differently? Hell yeah!

[basteta · 4/10 · 4 March 2021]

This series felt like leafing through a Cosmo magazine - sugar-coated and sickly. Like a glossy advert for drugs. You know this is no way near the truth, but goddamn it looks good!

It was very comical when Christiane's mother kept asking her husband about "where did you get the money from?" when clearly they were not suffering from poverty (did anybody?). The apartment is well furnished and has loads of trinkets and paintings (and of course, not to mention the stylish clothes). In no way suggesting they are struggling.

The characters problems seem as real as those phony guards chasing them.

Most disturbing and twisted was the scene where the girls said "let's show them how it's done". It was like Cuties on steroids.

Coincidentally I finished the book on New Year's Eve. Not only was it dark, it was frightening. It wasn't a pretty picture, but it was an authentic and an effective one.

I would understand if they had just said this series is a tribute to Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo. A little reference at the beginning.. but why use the title, the characters or try to imitate the plot? It only opens doors to disappointment.