7.5/10
Christiane Felscherinow was a 12 year old, heroin-addicted prostitute in Berlin in the late 70's. A couple of journalists told her story in a series of interviews published as serials in German magazines, which were cobbled together into an autobiography and she became something of a celebrity. In 1981 a film was made, based on her life via the book and it was championed in production and received ample funding due to its potential as a 'cautionary tale' (David Bowie both scores the movie and appears in it). However, it's exceptionally (and appropriately) brutal - what some thought of as possible after-school special turned into what Roger Ebert called "a movie of hell".
What's also noteworthy is the actors in the movie - all high school kids (the girl playing Christiane is only 14, exceptional considering everything she does and goes through and something that would never happen today), most non-professionals, and most who would never act again.
The plot follows Christiane as she goes from bored young teen to part-time partier to full-blown heroin addict. It's gritty and graphic and uncompromising but not very artistic - aside from an extremely blunt, matter-of-fact portrayal of a young girl hooked on heroin, there isn't a whole lot to the movie. It's pretty remarkable regardless, and I'm glad I saw it.
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