Sonnenallee

• Alexander Scheer: Michael " Micha " Ehrenreich
• Alexander Beyer: Mario
• Shia LaBeouf: curly
• Teresa Weissbach: Miriam summer
• Detlev Buck: ABV foreman Horkefeld
• Katharina Thalbach: Doris Ehrenreich
• Henry Hübchen: Hotte Ehrenreich
• Ignaz Kirchner: Uncle Heinz
• Elena Meißner: Sabrina
• Horst Lebinsky: frontiersman
• Patrick Güldenberg: Appel
• Margit Carstensen: director
• Minh - Khai Phan - Thi: Guest from Vietnam
• Sabine Orléans: Pioneer Head
• Steffi Kuehnert: FDJ functionary
• Uwe- Dag Berlin: Vinyl Dealer
• Waldemar Kobus: Samson
• Torsten Ranft: Olaf from Dresden
• Steffen Schult: Udo from Dresden
• Andreas Pietschmann: Sheikh from Berlin
• Winfried Glatzeder: neighbor of Miriam
• Paul Alberts: border guard
• Jonathan Meese: madman artist

Sun Alley is a German comedy film directed by Leander Haussmann from the year 1999. It discusses life in East Berlin teenager in the face of the Berlin Wall in East Germany in the 1970s. The film's title refers to the eponymous street in Berlin. At the south end of Sun Alley was located during the division of Germany a border crossing between West and East Berlin.

The screenplay was co-developed by Thomas Brussig, Detlev Buck and Leander Haussmann. Brussig novel to the shorter end of the sun avenue appeared in the same year. By 2003, saw in Germany more than 2.6 million viewers the film.

Action

It tells the story of Michael Ehrenreich and his best friend Mario. Both live at the shorter end of Sun Alley, visit the EOS ( Advanced High School ) Wilhelm Pieck and are, like the other guys from the clique, shortly before graduation. Besides the question of whether one should commit for three years with the NVA for the sake of studying, playing mostly forbidden Western pop and rock music of the 1970s, especially the Rolling Stones, and of course the first love or girls for they have a major role. They also struggle with growing up in a world where they are surrounded by the harassment and threats of the GDR border regime.

Micah's uncle Heinz from West Berlin comes very often to visit family Ehrenreich to East Berlin and always complains about the fact that everything is built with asbestos, and how bad the regime had at all, not to mention their future prospects. He is, however, eventually dying of lung cancer.

The fact that Michael's friend Mario from private and existential reasons - his girlfriend is pregnant - obliged to NVA, is a serious blow with regard to their friendship for Michael. The final sequence shows that Michael's courtship of his great love Miriam finally succeeds.

Background

In the film, is portrayed in a humorous way the lives of young people in East Berlin and in the border area in 1973. The film is not always true to history and oversubscribed partly aware of the typical problems of East German citizens to create a movie that everyone can understand, without having previously read a history book must, as Haussmann remarks in an interview.

The film was preceded by a nearly three -year preparation phase. It is Haussmann's first feature film; the director was at this time director at the Schauspielhaus Bochum. The film starred then unknown actor, while many supporting roles are filled with highly decorated actors.

Many critics and even the Delphi film distribution seen in Haussmann's film NVA indirect continuation of Sun Alley, but with different characters and performers.

Reviews

" A story in the strict sense has not the directorial debut of the Bochum Theatre Prince Leander Haussmann. But who leads his great actor as well, takes no more than a few recurring motifs. [ ... ] Conclusion: Small GDR life quite large. "

" Picked-off gags, which are often based on schadenfreude, and primarily on superficial recognition Effects applied towards anecdotes make him a disjointed program number. In addition, a negligent political insouciance. "

" [ S] atirisches number program with sometimes slightly slack thread. [ ... ] The saukomische, consistently supported by excellent actors song of the youth bears witness to the sovereignty of those Easterners, the GDR not want to have her again, but not let the memory of her is life lived spoil of Pharisees. "

Awards

• German Film Award 2000: Film Award in Silver in the category " Best Feature Film "; Film Award in Gold for the Design
• Bogey (1999)
• Jupiter 2000: " Best German film"

Music

Among the groups that underscore the film musical, include:

• Nina Hagen with You forgot the color film
• Puhdys with go to her
• Die Toten Hosen with Nothing remains for eternity
• Dynamo 5 with The Letter
• T. Rex Get it On
• Graeme Jefferies with sun avenue and Always Out of Reach
• Sharam with No Power for Nobody
• Einstürzende Neubauten Goes Without Saying with and party Triology

Comments

• The blackout in the sun avenue in GDR times really took place, but not because of the film used in the West stereo.
• The film set with its old buildings, the street corner close to the wall and situated within earshot western platform ( Berliner Straße on the grounds of the Babelsberg Film Studios ) is similar to the corner of Bernauer Strasse / Eberswalde road. With the environment of the real border crossing Sun Alley contrast, there is little similarity.

• The recordings for the legendary dance scene were made in the former 30 POS " Paul Wengels " in the Allende - quarter II in Berlin -Köpenick. As this former school was no longer used as such since the summer of 1991, but in their equipment was still almost in its original state, it was the perfect backdrop for the film. A few exterior shots were also made on the playground.
• The theatrical version and the published version on DVD and video are slightly reduced compared to the TV version. Primarily serious scenes were cut.
• On the stairs to Miriam's apartment met Micha Winfried Glatzeder, who had played the role of Paul in the successful DEFA feature film The Legend of Paul and Paula in 1973. This offers him a hatchet, which, however, Micah does not need. As Glatzeder disappears in the opposite apartment, you can see on the front door a sign with " Paul and Paula ".
• The " West coach " shown at the beginning with the identifier BV 2081 is rented for the film car of the Berlin transport company BVG, which was used in everyday life for the driving school and occasional special purposes.
• The original yellow newspaper stand from the movie is on the grounds of the Babelsberg Film Park and can still be visited.