Mach die Musik leiser

It's not easy being young. The end of their school years together is just around the corner for the three 16-year-old friends Frank, Andy and Florian, and decisions about the future - work, army, or high-school diploma? - loom large. Meanwhile, however, they hang out together without saying much, on staircases, at gas stations, under a highway bridge. They smoke, watch girls, listen to music, go to a metal concert, to the disco, the record store, and a drive-in theater. Not even a revolver triggers any excitement. In his film debut, shot in his hometown of Essen with a cast of non-professional actors, Thomas Arslan exposes the gestures and gait of young people and portrays their attitude to life in a phase of upheaval precisely. (bik)