Prinzessinnenbad

This is a fantastic documentary. Three 15 y/o girls from similar "patch work family" backgrounds have to find their way through puberty and the challenges of their Berlin borough Kreuzberg 36, known for its low income and high migrant population. Especially Klara's fate is interesting, clearly allowing us to see that children need guidance, authority and in general a father figure in their lives. The language might be shocking at times, but this is authentic language, authentic consumption of alcohol and drugs. Even though the girls still have a chance to make it, it becomes obvious that at least two of them could still fail. The music is fantastic, mostly German subculture sounds, hip hops, rock, but perhaps not what the kids listen to, but that's OK. In a way it is even better than Raising Victor Vargas since it is not staged.

The camera captures serious and funny moments (sometimes both at the same) of three young (15 year old I think) girls who have grown up in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The movie is able to shorten the distance to its three main characters without losing feeling for the serious problems they will have to face on their way to adulthood. Besides that, there's plenty of typical problems of teenagers in puberty in it, so it has a somewhat nostalgic note, too. Overall it is well done and succeeds in presenting an entertaining movie which will still give you enough to think about. Especially the three girls (my favourite being the cheeky Tanutscha) make this movie worth watching. Of course there is a price to pay: Sitting in a cinema with plenty of South-German, pseudo-intellectual and -alternative students in their 20s or early 30s, giving me the feeling they are laughing at the expense of the under-privileged while never taking serious what these pretty tough girls have to say. "Muschis" Tanutscha would call them, I think. She is right.