Berlin Calling

In the movie Berlin Calling, we watch the main character, Ickarus, deal with an incredible addiction to drugs and how he is consumed by the fast-paced Berlin night life. This is partly due to his career of being a famous DJ. Ickarus's drug use is his way of having fun and dealing with his issues of stress, problems, or strained relationships. 

Ickarus's drug use is influenced by the atmosphere of his job and many of his fans. Through the movie you see many of his fans taking drugs while they are out partying or in the clubs. The drugs range from ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, PCP, Ketamine, to even meth. The drugs are so easily available to the club-goers and helps them to have higher levels of sensations, "more fun," and to help them stay up all night to party. The drugs can be snorted, ingested, injected, etc.

Compared to my standards and how I was raised, to the lives of the party-goers and Ickarus's, is very different. I am from a very small northern Minnesotan town where there are no clubs and not an abundance and array of drugs like in the movie. It is very unacceptable in my town, where it is very common in the culture in the movie. 

In the movie it makes it seem that much of Berlin's youth is lost in the partying and drug scenes but through Mathilde's character you are able to see that there is still youth with work ethic and level-headedness. Alice is also hard-working and does decide to give Ickarus a second chance with the label once she sees his change and listens to his new work on his album. There are some movies that I can think of from the U.S. that are somewhat similar to that of Berlin Calling. One is the movie Thirteen. The movie is different in the sense that the characters are younger and it doesn't revolve around the fast paced club life but the girls' characters are experimenting with drugs, risky addictions, and other unhealthy relationships. In the end, one of the characters pushes for a better lifestyle. 

My reaction to the movie Berlin Calling was that it was sad to watch Ickarus struggle with such a deep addiction and that it was also shocking. It was shocking to see how much of the youth was partying and using drugs as if they were just candy. I know in the U.S. there is much partying and drug use as well but I know that the club scene is much more different in the U.S. compared to Berlin. Berlin's clubs are more trendier and play music that is house and techno. The U.S. will combine techno with more rap. The movie was very good and I was so happy in the end to see that Ickarus could change his dangerous lifestyle and still continue to do what he loved.