Of course you can't compare movies to books, but I've expected a lot more from this film. All in all it didn't feel very fluent: Slow character development and emotionless acting was my impression. The characters didn't feel very authentic (detlef seemed so forced to play an awkward person in some scenes), maybe because most of the kids weren't actors in the first place. Or the director intended the lack of emotions, fitting bored kids/teenagers, in that case I didn't like it very much.
Besides the slow plot in the film, I think the overall mood was pretty spot on. All of the sets were pretty gloomy and it just gave me such a nasty feeling, looking at spots where all the junkies were consuming heroin (or even prostituting themselves).
I did miss the aspect, that the viewer did not really know the motive behind Christiane. In the book, it is exactly explained, why she ultimately did drugs. There is only a short passage of her youth in the film, which could also have been included (Since the dialogues between characters felt like ages passing, it should have been doable). Edit: It does become better in the second half of the movie.
To sum up: I don't think it is a bad movie, because it is a drama with a very interesting matter, but the whole style to it just isn't my cup of tea.
Besides the slow plot in the film, I think the overall mood was pretty spot on. All of the sets were pretty gloomy and it just gave me such a nasty feeling, looking at spots where all the junkies were consuming heroin (or even prostituting themselves).
I did miss the aspect, that the viewer did not really know the motive behind Christiane. In the book, it is exactly explained, why she ultimately did drugs. There is only a short passage of her youth in the film, which could also have been included (Since the dialogues between characters felt like ages passing, it should have been doable). Edit: It does become better in the second half of the movie.
To sum up: I don't think it is a bad movie, because it is a drama with a very interesting matter, but the whole style to it just isn't my cup of tea.