Horst in Translation ([email protected])
This is "Chiko", a German movie from soon 10 years ago that was written and directed by Özgür Yildirim and stars Denis Moschitto as the title character. Now you will probably say that you have never heard of these two and I cannot blame you to be honest. This is quite a shame though that they are not connected to any other great film as their efforts for this one here were simply outstanding. At least, supporting actor Moritz Bleibtreu is among Germany's most known for a truly long time. And this film was produced by Faith Akin, a household name as well. You can certainly see Akkin's influence on the film if you know a bit about him and his works. "Chiko" known no taboos: sex, death, drug abuse, graphic violence. Now many films only include these to be as shocking and controversial as possible, to have people talk about the movie. Not so this one. It all works very well in the context of the plot. Nothing in here ever feels included just for the sake of it. And it concerns everybody here. Everybody gets their fair share, especially the good ones. Life's not fair guys, movies shouldn't be either. Happy endings are for other works."Chiko" is a fairly short movie, does not even come close to the 90-minute mark, even with credits, at least in the version I saw. And that is perfectly fine. I prefer short films with great entertainment value from start to finish and a compelling story over movies that are stretched for 10 or even 20 minutes in order to grant a longer viewing, but don't have the material or story for it. You will be moved by watching "Chiko", you will be touched, entertained and surprised by the action. It is a truly positive surprise. You don't find that brave approach by Yildirim very often in other German films. Don't worry about the Turkish background of many characters in here. There is (hardly) no Turkish language in here, so you will understand everything fine without subtitles if you are fluent in German. So what are you waiting for. If you have a chance to see it, do not miss out under any circumstance. Highly recommended.