Kalt wie Eis

‘Goodbye romance - welcome reality’ is the almost programmatic title of one of the songs that accompanies this remarkable film by Siggi Götz and Jess Franco's former assistant, who died young. The 18-year-old Dave is imprisoned for stealing a motorbike, but fakes a suicide and, chased by law enforcement officers, makes his way through West Berlin, which was surrounded by a wall at the time and is the film's secret main attraction. First he seeks out his girlfriend, a stripper in one of the city's hippest clubs, then he settles unfinished business with his ex-client ... Schenkel's official directorial debut - enriched with great punk and new wave music made in West Germany - is a chilly and visually stunning document of the no-future generation. Rightly cult! (Florian Widegger)