As one of the ... I don't want to call them characters. They are real life people, so as one of the "stars" of this documentary says: he would like to talk about other things (he mentions a cure and him being the one who came up with it), but alas that is not what the documentary is about. And that is unforunately not what he can share with the rest of the world. From Germany - they send a few messages out in the world, that could also have been from the US.
What he and the others can share, are their life experience. Even that will not give you answers or solutions - but it hopefully make you understand. The situation people are being put in, the mindset that creates for them and others. One of the anecdotes is that Scarface was considered a hero in the neighbourhood one of them grew up in (maybe it is true for some or all of the others too). That alone is saying quite a lot.
There is also a really cringe-worthy "confrontation", where three of our 5 leads talk to a German. After they themselves have reflected a bit - on their situation, on their appearance and so forth. So they ask this older German individual how he perceives them. It starts off rather ok - and they handle the situation more than decent. But the oozing prejudices that are rooted deep within this older individual can not be disguised in the end.
This has a lot of Hip Hop music and I was a bit surprised when they were talking about crime, doing drugs and other stuff. To a degree where I thought, this may be not entirely a documentary but actors portraying situations - at least at first. But the people we do see here, got away from the system. At least momentarily - not sure if they are still "free". And I don't just mean out of jail. It is the demons one has summoned once that are quite likely to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Still there is a lot of positivity and while I may be inclined to understand them on a better scale than maybe some others (being born in Germany, yet being from Greece), understanding their culture ... their mindset ... I hope that even if you don't get everything or maybe don't even like the looks and thoughts that are given out, you appreciate not just the effort that was made (by someone who clearly seems to care about those he filmed), but that every individual you see is not a cliche ... no matter thehow they look or appear!
What he and the others can share, are their life experience. Even that will not give you answers or solutions - but it hopefully make you understand. The situation people are being put in, the mindset that creates for them and others. One of the anecdotes is that Scarface was considered a hero in the neighbourhood one of them grew up in (maybe it is true for some or all of the others too). That alone is saying quite a lot.
There is also a really cringe-worthy "confrontation", where three of our 5 leads talk to a German. After they themselves have reflected a bit - on their situation, on their appearance and so forth. So they ask this older German individual how he perceives them. It starts off rather ok - and they handle the situation more than decent. But the oozing prejudices that are rooted deep within this older individual can not be disguised in the end.
This has a lot of Hip Hop music and I was a bit surprised when they were talking about crime, doing drugs and other stuff. To a degree where I thought, this may be not entirely a documentary but actors portraying situations - at least at first. But the people we do see here, got away from the system. At least momentarily - not sure if they are still "free". And I don't just mean out of jail. It is the demons one has summoned once that are quite likely to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Still there is a lot of positivity and while I may be inclined to understand them on a better scale than maybe some others (being born in Germany, yet being from Greece), understanding their culture ... their mindset ... I hope that even if you don't get everything or maybe don't even like the looks and thoughts that are given out, you appreciate not just the effort that was made (by someone who clearly seems to care about those he filmed), but that every individual you see is not a cliche ... no matter thehow they look or appear!
