Berlin Calling Movie ? and Answer

Angela Balcome

German 110

Berlin  Calling

Question and Answer:

1. Why is Ickarus taking drugs?

answer: Ickarus stated, “that he is taking the drugs to relax, and to stop stressing.”  He could be taking the drugs for many different reasons. One reason I think that he is taking the drugs is because  of his work.  He is a DJ who uses a lot of techno music.  I feel like from the knowledge we know about drugs that this could relate in the way that he feels drugs enhance the feeling that he gets in the way of how the music hits him.  The beat is enhanced.

1. Why are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

answer:  The types of drugs that were used in the movie included: MDMA, MDA, Ecstasy, Cocaine, Crystal Meth, Ketamine, PMA (which is a strong hallocigan), pretty much everything besides heroine.  I think that the fans are probably taking the drugs as a trend, and they like the feeling of being high on a drug when they are around the party scene.  Which includes lots of colorful lights, loud music, alcohol, dancing. 

1. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

answer:  One of the characters in the movie called it party powder.  This happened in the bathroom scene.  She asked Ickarus if he had any party powder, saying it in the way that they enjoy the high of these sorts of drugs while they are partying.  This subculture is the music industry.  It relates still today that the stars are normally into bad drugs.  Ickarus is part or this industry and as he stated early in the movie it relaxes him.  Ickarus relapsed because he left and went right back to norm of his life which included: taking drugs in a work scene.

1. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie.  Which are the stark differences and contrasts.

answer:  I see a relation between my home society and the movie in the way that everywhere there is an area where drugs and partying is rough.  In the movie its Berlin, and for us its Minneapolis.  Clubs such as: Bar Fly in the cities consist of many drugs.  The difference I notice is that my home society is not near as openly naked.   As we see in the movie Berlin Calling,  there are many naked scenes .  We talked about this in class and had noticed that in Berlin Calling the naked scenes are not there to turn you on as a sex scene but it is just showing you there everyday life style.  Where’ as in United States movies, most naked scenes in movie are there to so called arouse the audience.

1. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over.  Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that?  How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then resigns him?

answer:  From what I know and understand about Germany and the Culture, I do not believe that the youth will be able to change it. Work ethics of Ickarus and Alice the label director are crazy to me.  I can’t believe how Alice puts up with Ickarus’s “shit.”  If I were Alice I would have fired Ickarus a long time ago.  From what I understood about Alice though, was that she thought Ickarus was making here look good, which in turn would profit her by bringing in more artists.  In the work society that I live in people do not get away with that.  They are fired and do not get there jobs back, as far as California, Vegas and what not I’m sure more of this goes on.

1. Which similar “cult movies” of US origin have you seen, if any?

answer:  The Rocky, Repo Man, Scarface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.