I 100% agree with Falconeer on the review of Christiane F. I saw this movie in the 80's and it left such an impression on me on how devastating heroin addiction is. There is no sugar coating or glamorization here. It is quite bleak and really lets the viewer know how desperate heroin addicts are.

Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is an adaptation of the 1979 book, which in turn is based on a true story. The film is extremely realistic in its depiction of drug use and their side effects. The withdrawal scene in particular was very disturbing. The actors did an excellent job. Everything was believable.The soundtrack was composed entirely by David Bowie, and is somewhat depressing at times. This was a low budget production, however, it does not disappoint. There's a certain style, a little "something" that adds to the overall quality of the film. The characters, plot, music and setting help create an "atmosphere". It's perfect. I would be overjoyed if I found another flick with a similar atmosphere.The film's duration may be a problem with some viewers. It's about 2 hours and 11 minutes long (uncensored), and it may take a while for the story to "take off". The first half hour is merely an introduction to what is going to come up next. I was put off for a while because it can be hard to find motivation and time to sit through 2+ hours of video, but I am glad that I watched this now.Many people seem to believe that the real Christiane F. has died, however, she is still alive and (somewhat) drug-free.Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo is also very educational, and even though there are sexual elements to the story, I would recommend this to a teenager as a warning about the dangers of drug abuse.I give this 10/10.

Christiane F is powerfully confronting on it's first view. I first saw it, when I was 14. As just seeing it the other day, it is still a powerful engaging film about teenage drug addiction, which the two leads, so convincingly play, there's never a moment you don't believe em', where you forget they're actors. The film was surprisingly made by the same guy who made Body Of Evidence, where a couple of years earlier, he did that powerful and one of a kind art-house film, Last Exit To Brooklyn. Here, we follow Christine's life from 11 upwards, where she's learning quick, trying to escape the tedium of living with just her mother and sister in Berlin. Little Sis splits, leaving the duo, where Christiane and her mother are slowly drifting apart. Mummy has this new boyfriend, which of course like any daughter, disapproves of. The boyfriend gives her a David Bowie record, where she already has that particular album, a point to be made there. After clubbing about with her best friend, she meets her first boyfriend, Detlev, already an addict/and part time hustler, working the train station where perverted older clients with a lot of doe pick em up. Drug taking runs high in this, the first shock scene has a guy who overdoses in a cubicle, which reminded of how frank and shockingly real that scene was. Obviously that nameless guy was a bloody good actor. Also in close up, a little too close, we see as a test of love, Christiane pin pricking here skin, making a tattoo. Soon she graduates to H, and there's a private room, where an H is painted on the door. We follow her descent, and more a need for companionship. One cold turkey scene, ends with her and boyfriend, Detlev vomiting over each other (the things actors have to do). There are people who will misjudge this film as amateur, or a sleazy made for shock value film, but sometimes you have to shock to get a message across. I admit it felt a bit of amateur, but I think I was manipulated over the negative or bad reviews. Yes the movie does have faults, but it's shockingly powerful. But the big flaw, I found in the whole movie, was the scattered structure of story, and it's connected scenes, not making it the easiest film to follow in that respect. It was like we were missing some bits, and other parts of it were moving too quick, or weren't explained enough, where the journey of the story wasn't the clearest, and this is what downgraded it's quality, and with the film being dubbed didn't help. But still it's a powerfully charged movie from 83', a cult hit, you have to experience, with a memorable last scene on an island, where Christine cleans up.

This movie came to my attention many years ago when I got the soundtrack from a dear friend to whom I still talk to, as a gift. I later went on to downed the actual movie many, many years later and was amazed at it's withdrawal scenes. As this movie centers around drug use and it's life altering after effects. David Bowie makes a cameo in this and does most of the soundtrack. A great German made movie so if you don't mind subs and are inclined to this genre of movie I highly recommend it!It does get ugly as heroin addiction will tend to do but in my eyes and opinion it is one of the best representations of the life addicts live or die within. Also it is based on a true story and at the end tells you what happened to all of the key players. Which may surprise you in the end, If you google this movie and the movies key people in it you'll be surprised to know Christiane F. lives onto some sobriety but in the end succumbs to a struggle back and forth with sobriety. Great cast of unknown German actors and well done storyline in my opinion for a subject that is usually treated by Hollywood with much undertones. This movie puts it right in your face and lets you see heroin addiction for all of it's soul stealing wickedness!