Oh Boy (2012)

Philipp: "He sat in the bar and waited for the right role. It never came."

By Jan Ole Gerster
With Tom Schilling, Friederike Kempter and Ulrich Noethen

This relatively unknown German movie came to my attention and reading the story line made me feel like I had to see it. I can't exactly pinpoint what it is, maybe it's the law school drop out, maybe it's the difficulty find one's place... Maybe it simply resonated and I decided to see it.

Oh Boy is a bumpy day in company of Niko Fischer for whom nothing seems to go right. Distancing himself from his girlfriend, lying to his parents about still attending law school classes, being charged for a ticket he couldn't buy, being unable to get coffee, meeting old friends, all this through a cold and dark Berlin.

The movie is quite interesting in many aspects as it deals with human connections and the way they can surprise you or withdraw from you, the way they seem to escape you every time you try to force them and how they can come to you in the least expected way.

The movie is entirely filmed in black and white and it is a good choice as it adds to this contrast that Niko is going through and also to the beautiful shots of Berlin, both the beautiful statues or architecture and the industrial smoking chimneys or tagged alley walls. Niko is a great character and the actor playing him did a good job; rarely do we see such characters and if I had to really find someone like him I'd probably have to find it in some other European movie, such as Reprise (2006). Maybe it always existed or maybe it is something entirely new, but the new young men who cannot find their place in a society that doesn't seem formatted for them, they keep riding alongside this society that keeps them at a distance. I really enjoy such characters even though they never resolve entirely their issues, the quest can be just as meaningful.

When it comes to Niko's encounters they are as diverse as can be but one thing seems to stand out is that he doesn't want to connect with others but some want to connect with him and through this a connection can happen when it seems the least plausible. In its core, Niko Fischer is like Holden Caufield of The Catcher in the Rye (1951 novel) going through a town extensively, connecting with people and ends up reflecting on himself even more. This could be the weakness of the film, it doesn't invent anything, it doesn't bring a fresh solution... It is a fresh take on an issue that has been refreshed often times. The film's promising ideas do not complete the cycle and the movie will only leave you wanting to know more.

Maybe the key is in the details, maybe reaching a cup of coffee was the only real goal and meeting people was a way to get to that. The movie definitely makes you wonder, even if it cuts your thoughts a little short by some of the (many) awkward characters who only appear for enough time to make you ponder who they are.

I liked: Good music, whether it is jazz notes, piano notes or classical music. Black and White. The modern search for the self.

I disliked: I didn't feel the movie was complete. Would have been better, in my opinion, if it avoided to seek comical reliefs, the characters would have gained in credibility.

75/100
Takes you on a weird ride through the German capital in search for something elusive.