Rumspringa - Ein Amish in Berlin

How many gags can one make when a young Amish fellow gets dropped into Berlin with no one to guide him? As some may know, as a young child, Amish kids get a chance to experience modern society before they choose to commit to the life Amish lead, which is called Rumspringa. Thus as our protagonist's flight arrives in Berlin, his bags get taken by mistake and he befriends another young guy with an Amish styled beard. He shows him the ropes on partying and women. From this point, which started off with potential, turns into a corny teen relationship story as the Amish guy of course slowly breaks with his traditions yet conversely the modern people he meets are enamored by the sustainable way the Amish live so now he's hip. Will the Amish bloke party too hard, find romance or be happy to return home? Overall, it had light jokes, terribly written character interactions, unconvincing character decisions yet the story was moderately engaging and the cinematographer framed up a couple eye catching shots. A far cry from "Kingpin".

And this movie, as offbeat as it was, ended up pulling on my heartstrings.

About finding oneself. And that the answers are within and not outside oneself.

The 2 leads ma;e actors were very charismatic. The rest quirky and fun. And the female actresses very nice too, believable.

It was just a sweet story about a young Amish man off to Germany on his Rumspringa that is beginning to find himself and because he is Amish, the new World around him that he discovers, is amazing.

I liked it. I liked it a lot. Tenderly done, gives hope to us all that no matter what age we can find the answers to our lives and they can be sweet. Ever so sweet.

A really nice and funny movie in general that manages to mix deep moments and very light and funny moments very well. To be honest some passages are not very sensible but we do not notice much because the film goes very well entertaining and amusing from start to finish.

Okay, so at times it was corny, unrealistic and not overly deep, but I enjoyed this film nonetheless. The bit of insight into Amish culture was intriguing and, as a German speaker, the language differences between Pennsylvania "Dutch" and modern, slangy German were fun.

There were some tender and emotional moments, and it was cool to see heterosexual male characters comfortably expressing genuine affection in a way that didn't seem forced. There are no politics here, no sides to choose, nothing but humans trying to make their way in a confusing world.

At a time when cynicism holds so much sway, it felt refreshing to watch an open-hearted film with likable characters.

The objective part of me rated this movie a 6, but my more sentimental side would have added a star or two.

It's a comedy set in 2022, mainly in Berlin, Germany, with a few scenes in Pennsylvania. It follows an Amish teenager, with his family's blessing, taking his rumspringa time in Germany.

Jacob Hostetler (Jonas Holdenrieder) is the hapless Amish lad sent to Germany along with the Hostetler's family Bible. After his rumspringa, he must find some distant German Mennonite Hostetler relatives to learn more about his ancestry. However, when he arrives at the airport in Berlin and hails a taxi, through a mixup, Jacob loses his money, belongings, and Bible as he politely allows a young woman to have the cab.

Jacob wanders Berlin's streets until he sees a young man he initially thinks is Amish because of his suspenders, beard, and lack of mustache. He follows Alf (Timur Bartels) around until finally, Alf offers him a place to stay for a short time. Alf is an architecture student preparing for a major exam. Jacob meets Alf's roommate, Bo (Rauand Taleb), and Alf's girlfriend, Freja (Tijan Marei). He also eventually meets the young woman who had left in the cab with his possessions. Ina (Gizem Emre) is an artist and becomes Jacob's romantic interest.

The film follows Jacob's introduction to European culture and the response of his new friends to Jacob's simpler approach to life. Eventually, Jacob needs to decide whether to return from rumspringa to Pennsylvania.

"Rumspringa" has some positive aspects. Alf, Freja, and Ina appreciate aspects of Jacob's culture and background. Some of the cross-cultural humor is funny, but some veers closer to mocking Amish naiveté. It's a thin line as Jacob's list of the "sins" he has committed--ranging from roller skating to sex--becomes a valuable piece of art. There is little attempt at Amish accuracy, but that's not the point in a German comedy. One wonders if this kind of comedy would be made of other visible conservative minority groups. But some of it was funny.