This award winning coming of age story focuses on the trails of 15-year-old Michael, whose mother moves from man to man with Michael in tow. After she breaks-up with her rich boyfriend, the pair move to a grim flat in Neukölln, a rough ethnically diverse neighbourhood of Berlin.
Michael’s school is as violent as the streets and governed by tough gangs and local crime bosses. As the new boy, Michael is singled out and attacked until he falls under the protection of Hamal, a local crime boss.
Michael’s honest face makes him the perfect stooge for trafficking drugs across the city. But the consequences soon catch up with him and Michael is confronted with the brutal realities of the world he’s on the verge of entering.
This powerful vision of urban decline shares its dynamic and raw style with the emerging school of challenging and socially reflective German films in exploring the modern face of reunified Berlin.
Winner of three German Film Awards, a FIPRESCI award and the Label Europa Cinemas Award Berlin 2006.