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Photo M. Periasamy

TEENAGE ANGST One of the issues

Goethe Zentrum Coimbatore recently screened the German film Crazy. The story revolves around Benjamin, a 16-year-old with partial paralysis. He is shifted to many schools because of his lousy grades in math. Finally, he finds himself in a boarding school.

Benjamin takes a few days to acclimatise, and after incessant jeering and a battery of ‘rituals’, he’s taken in as one of them.

Though he initially misses his parents and sister, he soon begins to enjoy his new-found freedom. And, in his book, life is fun: there’s copious flow of beer, incessant drooling over women, especially the nude ones in books, a trip to the strip club, and even a disgusting contest among themselves. There’s seemingly no time or interest for studies.

So, Benjamin’s struggle with math continues till the end, despite special classes in the morning and afternoon.

Amidst all these, Benjamin, Benni to friends, learns what growing up is all about. On the one side is his crush on the gorgeous Malen, and on the other, his quarrelling parents (his father is seeing a much younger woman from work). Incidentally, his close buddy Janosch, too, fancies Malen. Though there’s jealousy between them, their friendship gets the better of bitter emotions.

The film has a sprinkling of witty and clever dialogues. One of the cleverest is when one of Benni’s friends calls Malen an antelope, for she is “graceful and unapproachable”. The film does, to a certain extent, portray life at a boarding school, teenage angst and banter among friends.

However, one wonders if the Indian audience would relate to many of the scenes, especially the cookie bit and strip club.

The film was for teenagers, for whom it could not have been screened, and the adults were bewildered at what they saw.

It would be prudent on the part of the Centre to choose films that strikes a chord with the audience. I am sure there are plenty of brilliant German films waiting to be watched.

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