As I said earlier, we met Uschi and Dieter in Aspen, Colorado in 1982. I got a letter from her from Northern California in September of '82 prior to their trip to Mexico. I'm looking at it right now. She was excited that they were going to have a friend make a tepee for them and spend the winter living in it on the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Uschi and Dieter that we spent an evening with gave no hint of being the type of people this movie portrays. They did not seem to be the dark and tortured souls that this movie shows them to be. They were happy, outgoing, talkative, generous and excited about the future. Dieter loved to fish. They loved Colorado. They enjoyed crossing the USA and had been all around it, but the movie make no mention of that time at all. The movie also gives no mention of her artistic talents. Uschi made scrimshaw, and as an artist I can tell you it was excellently done. She was going to have an exhibition of her scrimshaw in LA but I do not know if she ever did. I can't say they were friends of mine, exactly, having only spent one evening together but they were acquaintances and I have very fond memories of them. I'd always hoped one day I'd see their bus on the highway so I could say hello again. I don't know if this movie was authorized by Uschi as an accurate portrayal of their lives, but I do know it made me sad for them. My wish is for her happiness and hope that these last 30 years or so have been as happy as they could be.Uschi, if you ever read this, blessings and happiness to you.

Full of noise with very little substance. On the background: with so much exciting material in the 60s and 70s this film only takes a meagre glimpse of the politics, history, youth, music, and media. On the foreground: our protagonist has no purposes or goals or beliefs beyond open sexual relationships (when they suit her, one might add). It also leaves no room for the supporting characters as they shy away next to the heroine's frequent and stunning nakedness. Where the film fails miserably is that pieces of Uschi's memories do not invite audiences to be emotionally involved. They were mere events, things she had done, most of the time simply for spontaneous fun. There are a few failed attempts to portray her wildness, but they instead display her stupidity (e.g., she insists on smuggling drugs yet it's her partner who meets and wins the confrontation). By the end of the film - of moving from one group to another, mingling with the "high society" of the rock 'n' roll, travelling in a caravan around half of the world, having a prince- like wedding in India, pregnancy, etc. - both the heroine and the audience are still none the wiser. The odd narratives only provides abrupt and surprising statements like when she muses about "the two men I loved most". Huh? Which two? Since when???Her happiness is built on drugs and sexual pleasure. Her tears are shallow and unmoving. There seems to be no connection between her and any other characters except for the one she's currently sleeping with. (I don't even know what her best friend looks like as she speaks hardly 3 words.) Even then the connection is vague and confusing. Undeniably other characters display stronger personality at times, but it's largely undermined by their inconsistent and implausible behaviour.The light is on but nobody's home - very much like our main character; perhaps in that sense this film isn't a total failure after all: it mirrors the character in itself.

This isn't a masterpiece of cinema but it's not rubbish. Eight Miles High focuses on the German model Uschi Obermaier and her progression from a small town teenager to a world traveling model/activist/groupie. I had never heard of Uschi Obermaier before and this film not only introduced her to me but peaked my curiosity about her. Like her character narrated in the film, she was an "egotistical monster" but her story is something so unimaginable, so fascinating that you can't believe it. Unlike the other reviewer, I feel that Uschi accomplished much not out of her simple beginnings. Granted modeling doesn't save lives but she was fearless and lived a life that few of us would ever dare. The acting in this film was not trite or clichéd and, in fact, I found the actors who played Uschi, Keith Richards, and Bockhorm endearing and engaging. If you like movies about strong, independent women this is something to watch! Uschi Obermaier's life reads more like a fiction novel than a nonfiction title. The only qualm I had with the movie is it ended too short.

Have you ever dreamed of being completely free? Traveling the world, living without rules, and hooking up with anyone you wanted (including celebrities)? Sure, it sounds like the premise for a new MTV reality show. But according to Achim Bornhak's new film "Eight Miles High!," this lifestyle wasn't a fantasy at all for German model Uschi Obermaier, who he portrays as the epitome of this born-to-be-wild brand of freedom.As the biopic opens, Obermaier rebels against her conservative parents by posing nude and then runs away to become the It Girl of Munich's club scene. There, she meets Rainer Langhans, leader of the controversial politically-motivated commune in Berlin, "Kommune 1", embraces free love, but lacks interest in following her new boyfriend's leftist ideals. Girls just want to have fun, and Obermaier does just that—modeling, touring the country as a Rolling Stones groupie, and traveling the world in a luxury tour bus with her Red Light District bar owner lover. With her freebird lifestyle unlike any other female of her time, Obermaier became an icon and the embodiment of 1968 Germany.Of course, there can't be all happy endings in a life without guidelines. Natalia Avelon is successful at portraying Obermaier because she doesn't glamorize her one bit—instead, we see how others viewed her, in many cases as not political or smart enough to be the face of a movement. But that's not what she wanted anyway. For this It Girl, the good life was all about sex, drugs and rock n' roll, and "Eight Miles High" makes it all look so beautiful that ultimately you'll find yourself wishing it was still 1968.Check out genartpulse.com