Maidgethma Wonderfully offbeat film!

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

Micransix Crappy film

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

fritzbrause I am sorry, but upon seeing this I had the suspicion it couldn't be quite accurate and by later finding out it probably is a complete fabrication, scripted and acted out, I was feeling played with and lied to. Who likes that? I would think not a great deal of people. A simple information at the beginning that the story and the material are mostly fictitious would have prepared the viewer that he was watching something of an idealized, wanna be past, that did not happen as presented at all.I hope those filmmakers will not continue in making "documentaries" but use their imagination more accordingly in different settings. Better luck next time. For a mockumentary it just isn't funny or interesting enough.

dante979 I caught this movie on TV and at fist sight thought it was good. 1/4 into the documentary and something was bothering me. It was painfully obvious the "old" footage was not old but new footage made to look "old". After searching for more info about the movie online I found out what I fear. Movie is a fake dockumentary which is not labeled mockumentary but instead it is trying to pass as a real documentary. Only for that reason I gave this movie 2 stars. Even the director himself is not answering the question if movie is fake or not. Interestingly no one ever heard of Denis Panichek nor did anyone under that name died in Afghanistan. At this point I'm even failing to see what is the point of this fake documentary?

fb-31-949637 I grew up in the former GDR (East Germany) and I am about the same age as the skaters in the movie.There have been quite a few movies about that time. None got it right in my opinion. Some portrait it as a dull place - some exaggerated it as a comedy. So, this movie about the Skater scene in East Germany is very close to how life was at the time (as far as I can trust my memories). It is a movie about young people that share the passion for skateboarding. They have to live with the boundaries of the GDR.Also interesting, it tells a clear story but on the other hand it is a documentary as well.Besides, I also liked how the movie is made. The pictures, the music, the cuts, ... it simply fits.

barbicane3333 I saw this film last night at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. As a passionate fan of anything related to Germany, I figured I'd enjoy it, and I did. The film revolves around a group of old friends who have gathered to reminisce about one who recently died. The deceased was the central and most popular figure in East Germany's emerging skate culture in the 1980s.The film's story is told by the friends in personal interviews and with period film clips. Some of the clips are grainy or out of focus, which is understandable, given the time period and the difficulty of obtaining good quality cameras and film in East Germany. Rather than distracting, these clips give the film its authenticity. Life in East Germany was hard, as the friends make clear. Having never lived there, it's difficult to imagine the restrictions (e.g., skateboarding was considered an anti-Socialist activity) they constantly had to deal with.The story is told with a mixture of humor and sadness, and it was thoroughly enjoyable throughout. It is a remarkable piece of filmmaking, never less than engrossing. The closeness and camaraderie evident among the friends will almost make viewers feel they are part of the story. My spirits rose and fell with them as the details emerged. The film's most important fact is not revealed until a few minutes before the end.The film is also accompanied by an excellent soundtrack featuring a wide range of genres from techno pop to speed metal. Each tune is appropriately matched to the action in the film. Stay through the closing credits, because the song director Marten Persiel chose to play over them is a perfect summation of what you have just seen. Don't be surprised if you get misty. If this movie comes to a local theater, I will see it again, and I will definitely buy the DVD when it's released.