How hard can it be in today’s Berlin – hipster hangout no. 1 – to order a cup of coffee? Very hard, actually, as drop-out Niko (Germany’s current ‘it-boy’ Tom Schilling) discovers one day.
The day starts off unpromisingly enough with his (ex) girlfriend, and from then on it just gets worse. He loses his driving licence after a bizarre psychological test, his bank account is blocked and an encounter with an old schoolmate goes horribly wrong. Along the way, Niko begins to realise something. Until now, he has managed to get away with pretty much everything thanks to his big beautiful eyes; but now suddenly it’s time to grow up.
The tragicomic Oh Boy, filmed in sunny black-and-white, is a portrait of a young man on the verge of adulthood. With the help of a jazzy soundtrack, debut director Jan Ole Gerster smoothly guides us from a cheerful slacker comedy into a poignant ode to Berlin, its residents and its past.
Film details
- Country of production
- Germany
- Year
- 2012
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2013
- Length
- 85'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
