Fresh
In spite of its insufferably whimsical tendencies - exemplified by its original title, "Oh Boy" - the film may have turned out to be a deeply profound modern postscript about fascism.
Martin Tsai, Los Angeles Times
A Coffee in Berlin
No job. No girl. No coffee.
2012 · 1h 28m · UNRATED
Comedy, Drama
Directed by
Jan Ole Gerster
Overview
Niko, a twenty-something college dropout, lives for the moment as he drifts through the streets of Berlin, curiously observing everyone around him and oblivious to his growing status as an outsider. Then on one fateful day, through a series of absurdly amusing encounters, everything changes.
Director and cast
- Jan Ole Gerster Director
- Tom Schilling as Niko Fischer
- Marc Hosemann as Matze
- Friederike Kempter as Julika Hoffmann
- Justus von Dohnányi as Karl Speckenbach
- Katharina Schüttler as Elli
- Arnd Klawitter as Phillip Rauch
- Martin Brambach as Kontrolleur Jörg
- Andreas Schröders as Psychologe
- Katharina Hauck as Café-Besitzerin
- Ulrich Noethen as Walter Fischer
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
73%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Niko's problem is not just that he's spoiled and lazy, but that he's a wimp about it. He only maintains viewer sympathy because everyone else in the film is so obnoxious.
Peter Keough, Boston Globe
Fresh
It manages to make an entertaining story out of nothing in particular. And just when you get comfortable passively observing a passive observer, the minutest of twists becomes its own call to action.
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post
Rotten
The cheerful Dixieland soundtrack implies "A Coffee in Berlin" is a comedy, but the story line smears the screen with melancholy.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
As sure of itself visually in its black-and-white evocations of Berlin as its protagonist is unsure of himself and his future.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
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