System Crasher (2019) User Reviews

This is reality

[lythis-love · 8/10 · 9 October 2019]

I went to see this movie with my coworkers. We are all nurses and work on a closed psychiatric ward for children and Teens. This film hit me so hard. The only movie that hit me harder in the stomach and the feels was Anti-Christ!

At first it is not clear if Benni is a Boy or a Girl and to be honest, it doesnt matter at all. Everything that happened could also have happened to a Boy.

Al the struggles in the foster care, the hitting, screaming, running away, wanting to be with your mother only, as this is the truest love.. . everything is just from reality. Nothing Comes from Fantasy. I had the Feeling someone was filming one of our days at work. We do have those systemcrashers now and then. They just don't fit anywhere. They cannot be handled in a Group. They Need one on one care. And as the film displayed - even that, doesn't help unless you continue this care for the rest of the childs life. Bonding Issues are worst to be handled in a psychiatric ward. We also do send children abroad for two years and they are not able to return in this time.

I can only imagine that the People behind the movie must be in those Kind of foster System, child care because everything is taken from the real life, just how it is.

During the movie I had to fight tears, I had lots of shock moments (when Benny took away the Baby and locked herself in, Benny was beaten by the Stepfather and locked in a cupboard) and the most horrible Feeling when leaving the Cinema.

The Ending was really good as it is up to the watcher to imagine how it Ends. It could end in suicide (which is not uncommon on those mental issues) but it also has no end. If she ever came to Kenya.. there would still be no end to her suffering. It would just continue... To get her to Kenya I could only imagine her be sedated very hard..

I wonder how the actress was able to do all the acting so accurate?! Did she know what she portrayed ?

This Film is hard Piece if you work with children... don't be to light hearted in watching it.

OMG

[tool-man · 9/10 · 9 March 2020]

This movie is so shocking realistic. I work with kids like Benni everyday. Watch it, it will be worth it. It makes you cry, you will feel the despair of the girl and the responsible adults. The acting of the girl is outstanding.

Perfect storytelling and deep delving portrait of how teachers, social workers, therapists and foster parents end up without options to find a suitable future for a 9-year old

[JvH48 · 9/10 · 26 February 2019]

Saw this at the Berlinale 2019, where it was part of the official competition for the golder bear. It won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize "for a feature film that opens new perspectives".

I myself can only humbly add the following praises: Perfect storytelling, deep delving portrait of the many people involved (social workers, schools, therapists, foster parents, natural parents, and so on), all having their daily struggles in general like everyone else, but additionally must cope with such a difficult (hopeless) case as Benni is. Pitying and caring is not enough. Benni defies all logical behavior, despite of normal intelligence and old enough to correlate her own behavior with how people respond on what she does and how she acts. Some of the hefty scenes are uneasy to watch but without overdoing it nor over-exploiting the situation.

This movie succeeds in avoiding most clichés about difficult children, incapable parents, and well-meaning social workers. All protagonists act believable in their own role, even Benni's natural mother who is a problematic case herself, apart from being unable to handle Benni, even to the extent of fearing her own daughter. Thus, she cannot fulfill Benni's desire to live with her natural mother, regardless of how often Benni repeats that she really wants that. Acting such, she frustrates all efforts wanting her in a different direction.

Micha is a different case altogether. In the beginning he seems the only one capable of dealing with Benni, thereby showing progress for the first time in the story. But he "comes too close" (his own words), and fears to lose his professional distance. The two instances when Benni encounters Micha's family, one on Micha's own initiative and one due to Benni arriving on their doorstep. Both seem to work out very well initially, alas both strand in some sort of near-disaster after a few seemingly happy days.

The child protection service woman believes and repeatedly says that living with a natural mother will solve all problems. She really beliefs that natural parents implicitly have a supernatural influence. It is clear (and proven in this case) that it does not work every time, and certainly not here. Apart from that misconception, she goes at any imaginable length to find a solution. Her despair is truly visible. The repeated efforts to find a new home for Benni are heart moving as well as hopeless.

We can do nothing else than follow this well-meaning woman in her feeling of despair. We witness many situations that seem to start well yet always end in a sort of disaster. It follows that pattern repeatedly, nearly exhausting all options for Benni as well as drawing on us viewers. Though all subsequent attempts end miserably, the situations are still sufficiently varied. The apparent repeats may be wearing us out along with the social workers, but not in a boring repetitive way.

We are offered no hope for any sort of happy end. Even worse, I'm not sure what to think about the ending. The final scene leaves unclear (I assume on purpose) how the story with Benni ends. I imagine that a better way to end the movie cannot be thought of, given the ingredients.

Powerful and hard to swallow depiction of abuse and trauma.

[salvatore-669-264656 · 8/10 · 17 November 2019]

System Crasher is an unforgiving and brutal examination of 9-year-old girl Benni, whose anger issues and past trauma hinder her from finding permanent care.

System Crasher is unforgiving because of its realism. There's no glimmer of hope. It's simply the life of a child who cannot be saved by her society. From desperate and annoyed care takers to a clueless system which fails Benni, she cannot cope with her trauma and resorts to violence and anger. Helena Zengel embodies this anger almost perfectly and manages to walk the thin line between authenticity and sympathy. You can't help but feel for her, even though she continuously screams at everyone. These screams symbolise her inner struggle and the deeply rooted pain she suffers from being abused and abanoned. With close to two hours it's a tough movie that feels longer than it is, but it's worth it and so important.

Cinematic Tour de Force

[Isumataq · 9/10 · 29 November 2019]

Directress Nora Fingscheidt had previously only worked on documentaries and it shows - in a wonderful way. Best described as hyper-realistic cinema, the movie is a "slice of life" experience spanning only a few weeks of the trying life of 9-year-old girl Benni and everyone involved in it.

It is never made quite clear (at least not comprehensively) what exactly it is Benni is suffering from, but that's not essential to a non-professional audience anyway. To a layman, it appears to be a form of mental instability that requires intensive professional care and medical assistance. However, neither seems to be sufficient treatment as Benni's mood heavily fluctuates between moments of relative calmness and aggressive hypomania all throughout the movie. As a consequence, she's constantly battling social isolation and caught in between her most human need for affectionateness and her conditions disposition of pushing everyone away from her. The movie also brilliantly displays, in what I consider maybe its strongest feat, the emotional and professional hardships everyone surrounding her experiences as a result. Even today, there's very little understanding or appreciation for social work in our society, that is, labor that does not immediately generate monetary value. The movie does its part in educating the viewer, not in a condescending way but entirely through imagery. Its multifaceted approach encompasses any and all points of view, individual motivations and emotions, the eventual judgement however is left entirely up to the audience.

The acting is undoubtably meriting all the praise directed its way and then some. Flawless across the board. It wouldn't work otherwise. Helena Zengel does a magnificent job at playing Benni, surely someone to watch for the future.

Without elaborating too much, there's one peculiar cinematographic detail I'd like to mention that stood out to me: The color palette is heavy on pink, a traditionally "girly" color, that is used in most innovative ways that can be best understood if you're familiar with Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate (2018). Like Schnabel, Fingscheidt uses color to further emphasize the gravitas of certain emotional situations. As opposed to "seeing red", the young girl literally sees pink in scenes of extreme anger and distress and we, as the viewer, are confronted with a bold pink overlay blocking out everything else. One cannot help but notice the (most certainly intended) irony in using a color such as pink that is associated with cuteness and innocence and turn it into what later on in the movie has conditioned the audience to expect rage fits of the worst kind.

That is not to say that the movie represents a particularly feminine point of view. The issue is, at its core, a gender neutral one.

In short, a hearty recommendation to any serious moviegoer.

Very REAL Portrayal of very REAL Conditions

[safsurfer · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

If this film is hard to stomach, or sit through, or you had to close your eyes and hold your ears through tough parts.....then this film succeeded in its main task of showcasing very real and difficult to treat psychiatric conditions. It can be a little rough to watch at times but also heart warming too so it won't be a total downer the entire time. If you find this film a worthy watch then check out 'Mommy' 2014 to see how this progresses. I rated this an 8, for good, but you'll have to see for yourself to be a fair judge.

My favorite movie at the Berlinale

[AnnaPrehler · 8/10 · 2 March 2019]

This movie was really impressive, especially considering that it is the director's first feature film. Helena Zengel, who plays Benni, is such an excellent actress and she can go very far as an actress if she continue in that way. Can't wait what she is doing next.

Did anyone notice the resemblance with «Mommy» by Xavier Dolan?

[Vitalik_Denys · 7/10 · 8 June 2021]

In general, the movie is good, especially the acting. But there is one problem - the movie repeats an idea and some cinematic approaches of «Mommy» (2014) made by Xavier Dolan. The main character, a girl, has similar facial features of the main character of Dolan's movie, with the only difference that Xavier's movie portrays a boy, who is a few years older. The movie repeats «Mommy» in the idea, and even the ending is the same. The ending is almost copied from «Mommy», repeating all the visual approaches. And this is the worst thing, I just don't get excited watching a movie that repeats another one in so many ways.

Stunning Portrayal of an Out of Control Child

[mandy-1 · 10/10 · 18 January 2020]

I saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was so real I had to remind myself it was a theatrical film, not a documentary, when it was over. It's raw and moving, flawlessly directed, edited and above all acted. Not easy to view but so well worth it. It's been a week and I still think about it. I imagine it will be in indy theaters before long. If you get a chance and like truly unique films, go see it!

More for the workers

[ShftyEyedGoat · 7/10 · 6 December 2020]

I think this movie does a better job at portraying a difficult situation in child care, social services, etc than it does for dealing with a problem child.

As stated in other reviews very little is done to treat the problem other than some possible medication. Really that should be an answer to compliment a solution not be the solution. So as this movie lacks proper care for Benni I think it excels at portraying the difficulties in social services and the impact cases like this, or even many less serious, can have on the people who really care.

By the end I was done with her, she needed more professional care than she was getting. Especially with an open ending passing the problem on? Come on nothing was solved, the main character made no developments, we're just left wondering how much she'll torment another country. My heart went out more to the turmoil and difficult situations and choices the care workers had to deal with. Respect to them.

One of the best German movies in the last years

[berlinhimmel · 10/10 · 4 March 2019]

I saw the world premiere of this movie at the 69. Berlinale and I was really surprised about it. I'm so happy to see, that some rare German Directors can create much better stuff than the typical Till Schweiger comedy movies. This movie is totally different, very intensiv and emotional. I wished we will get more of this in the future.

The German Health Service Gets Sprinkled

[jgcorrea · 7/10 · 9 November 2020]

It is a film about failure. (1) The daily failure caused by a serious mental illness (in this case, schizophrenia) (2) The failure of the human species in general - the only one whose shoots do not survive alone in any environment, even the wildest. (3) The failure of social programs in Germany, where 37 institutions refuse the patient protagonist and, at best, recommend her to go to Kenya, which eventually she will probably do. The ending is open, similarly to the end of a classic Nouvelle Vague film, Les 400 Coups, by Truffaut. (4) The failure of the school teacher, who is a professional healer for marginalized teenagers, he develops a personal liking to the girl Benni, which puts his own career at risk as he tries an alternative approach and - what is worse - he finally realizes that the disease cannot be cured . In a way, this film is comparable to "The good son" with Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. The difference is, that one was a thriller - and a quite reasonable one for that matter. This one, Systemsprenger, is not a thriller. It is more semi-documentary worthy of an application among films that qualify for elective subjects within the curricula of medicine and psychology schools: (Among such films, for example, ¨In a glass darkly¨, by Ingmar Bergman; ¨Pressure point¨, by Hubert Cornfield; ¨À la la folie - pas du tout¨ by Laetitia Colombani etc. Benni has fits of angry violence. She can't control them. She wants to change her life, but she's incapable. Doctors do not succeed as well. Social workers, ditto. This is not an easy movie.

Another perspective of an emotional case

[youtheen-18172 · 4/10 · 17 December 2019]

The emotional impact of the film is undeniable. It's tough to watch sometimes and I guess it was made with an honest intention. But I want to make some points from a different point of view. The film doesn't really investigate the cause of Benni's problems. It may deal with her mother or her father, with an accident from early childhood, we cannot tell. It may be a physiological, not a psychological cause, a genetic disorder for which no one is to blame. But the film is not dealing with the cause of the problem. So why people started to point the guilty ones? It was based on what they believed it's the problem, not on what it was shown in the film. Another fact is that the authorities are dealing this case as a social one. But Benni is not a kid with some problems regarding integration, Benni suffers from a very serious psychiatric desease. He almost kills several children! She has suicidal threats, she is putting herself and the others in danger without warning. And they want to find a foster parent! They are acting with good intentions, but are they idiots? Everyone is on her side, but do you let her in your home with your children? This kind of desease, so violent and at such young age, is unfortunately only for psychiatric clinics to deal. And the chance for recovery are slim, we can only contain it, but not solve it. I think a lot of people acted emotionally, but when we think a little, we discover the fact that this is a medical case, not a social one. It's easy to say 'her mother let her boyfriend Benni and then the society, the system, our indifference etc. etc.', but again we don't know this is the case and, most important, integration of a extremely violent girl in a normal family is the way to make her well?

Beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking

[darkreignn · 8/10 · 13 April 2020]

"System Crasher" is an incredible movie. Words can barely describe how beautiful and yet simultaneously heartbreaking this film is.

"System Crasher" stars Helena Zengel as Benni, a 9-year-old girl who is stuck in the system, moving from one foster family to the next as her social worker tries her hardest to find her loving, permanent care. At first glance you'd think that something like that wouldn't be hard to do; after all, there are lists hundreds of names long, full of people who would be willing to foster a child such as Benni. However, Benni has one, tragic problem: her anger issues, stemming from her years of childhood abuse. Benni will lash out and explode at people, slinging profanities like toys at Christmas. And at first you might think a young girl cussing at people would be humorous to watch, but believe me, there's nothing funny about Benni's behavior, and never is it played for laughs. As the film continues, with every meltdown Benni has, you'll want to eventually shut off the television, not because this is a bad film, but because your heart will break for Benni. What initially seems like the lashing out of a problem child eventually turns into what it really is: the cries for help from a victim of abuse. And they never get any easier to stomach.

Helena is absolutely incredible in this movie, and there are times where you'll think that you're watching a documentary because of how raw and real her performance is. Without trying to sound too sentimental, you'll empathize with her so much that her happiness will become your happiness, and because of that, her sadness will be your sadness. Much like how one character in this film states of having "rescue fantasies" after spending time with Benni, you'll start to have those same fantasies as you wish you could crawl into the movie and just give her the love she so clearly needs. And as you learn what has happened to Benni, and more than that, what was allowed to happen to Benni, you'll want to punish those involved. Make no mistake, this is by no means an easy film to watch.

Now, I've seen certain reviews mention that Benni was "born evil," and I vehemently disagree. Because, from just one viewing of this movie, you'll understand that Benni's life has been an exercise in failure. From her family to the people who are hired to care for her to the system itself, Benni has been failed in various ways, by numerous people. And as you see people fail Benni, you'll see her, by her actions, fail herself, too. You see, it seems almost as if her abuse made her addicted to her self-destructive behavior as a coping mechanism, because no matter how good things seem or get, Benni will always act in a way that make things go back to the way they always were. And unfortunately, for many victims of abuse, that is reality; they try to find solace in the very behavior that is contributing to their destruction.

But as you see people fail Benni because of disregard or blatant abuse, things will seem to take a turn once she meets Michael, played by Albrecht Schuch. I do not want to get into specifics or spoilers of his role or the part he plays in this film, but I will say that his sequences with Benni are the most heartwarming, and heartbreaking, of the movie.

When the film comes to a close, I do think the ending will rub certain people the wrong way. It definitely left me wanting more, but I understand why the movie ended the way it did, and so I can't say it detracted from the overall quality or my personal enjoyment of the movie.

"System Crasher" is one of the best movies I've seen, and it's definitely one of the finer films on Netflix. If you have the stomach for it, I'd definitely recommend you watch this movie.

8/10

A very deep study of what it can be like for someone with major mental illness as a child.

[Hex_0mega · 8/10 · 30 March 2020]

To me, this movie was comparable in some ways to "The Good Son" from the 1990's with Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. The difference between Benni and Culkin's character though is that Benni does not act out just for the thrill of it or the purpose of acting evil. She is just a girl with major mental health issues, which appear to more than likely be the result of schizophrenia. She has violent outbursts that she can't control and you can tell throughout the movie that she wants to change but is unable to do so at that stage in her life.

On top of the out of control mental outbursts, she is thrown into ever changing situations and environments that it seems would only confuse her and make her healing process more difficult. The doctors cannot seem to find the proper medication to balance her out and at one point even prescribe her a schizophrenia medication that is meant for adults, and she is only nearly 10 years old. As far as that part goes, I travelled that path myself as a child with being prescribed medication that is meant for adults at that age and it does not do your mental health any good when you are a child to take medicine that is designed for someone who's brain is further along in development.

This is a very powerful film. If you yourself have struggled with mental illness from a young age, you will probably find yourseld relating to certain aspects of this movie as I did. Its definitely worth a watch.

Incredible performance and gripping story

[denis-23791 · 8/10 · 16 March 2020]

Unbelievable, impeccable performance by the little girl who shakes up the life and faith of many good people that genuinely want to help but are pushed to their limits. Unusual dramaturgy but realistically showing the back and forths of such an extreme case. Great camera and sound to support this excursion into the world of a lovely but hardly bearable girl who is innocent of her condition due to a failed family structure. Very moving film that raises important questions. Incredible debut work.

EUFF good recommended

[lau_ka_ki_davis · 8/10 · 14 February 2020]

I'm glad I watched this movie in Hong Kong. It reminds me how I overcome my broken childhood by myself. Problem families should have more concerns and facilities for their children. Children will grow up happily and become strong adults. This's a lovely German movie. Thank you.

Raging brat

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 30 July 2020]

"Systemsprenger" or "System Crasher" is a German theatrical movie from 2019 and actually, it is certainly among the most known German films from the 2010s. It reached a lot of success. For example, here at the German Film Awards not too long ago, it won 3 out of 4 acting prizes (including the two lead ones), also won for screenplay, for direction and finally also succeeded for Best Picture. Long before that already, this movie got selected to represent Germany at the 2020 Oscars. It made the shortlist of nine, but failed to become an actual nominee, probably not too surprising given the story because German films usually do best in America when there is a historic element involved. The writer and director is Nora Fingscheidt, also still a relatively young filmmaker, easily under the age of 40, born one year before me, and this is only her second "real" credit. "Real" in this context means we exclude short films and documentaries, but even if we count full feature documentaries, then it is still only her third movie. So, not a highly experienced filmmaker, but given her age, this is not a surprise at all.

"Age" is a good keyword here because you already see the girl on the photo here played by Helena Zengel and she is the system crasher and also the one who won a German Film Award for Lead Actress and that is quite an achievement given her young age. She was slightly over 10 when her name got announced and her character in this movie is even younger. This success for Zengel made waves abroad too and the consequence is that she will play a major part in the next Tom Hanks movie, so even an international breakthrough is perhaps coming for her now. I will be really curious to see where Zengel's career is heading in the next years, actually decades, and what is in store for her. Difficult to imagine that she will not continue as a full-time actress. Many child actors leave the industry and go for normal jobs like the ones you and me have, but that is mostly because of lack of demand and I don't think Zengel will have to worry about that anytime soon. Her male co-lead here is Albrecht Schuch. He may not be as much of a lead as the child character in this film, but I agree with him being lead and he is really having a massive year as he won not only one German Film Award, but took home a second as well. I think Laura Tonke managed the same a few years ago for the two actress categories and now it was Schuch's term. Schmeide (still reminds me of Erika (or the actress) from "Stromberg") won for Supporting Actress and well, maybe a bit too much, a nomination just like for Hagmeister would have been enough, but I guess Schmeide had that crying scene (with the girl giving her solace) working in her favor. I think this scene was more memorable for how it was written with the real victim there being the girl and yet she does not fully realize that.

Now, I am already quite a bit into the story, so I will continue with some brainstorming about moments and scenes that stayed in my mind. Actually, I think this is not the easiest movie to review because not a whole lot happened here. It was basically a back and forth of one scene with the girl going fully crazy and the next scene with the girl having calmed down and being more on the harmonic side combined with Schuch's character's approach and how he manages to make a connection with the girl. But this mix of escalation and calmness (before the storm again) worked well nonetheless and as the movie is even over two hours long, that is pretty impressive. There are not a whole lot of characters here, it's a fairly simple premise and reminded me a bit of "Victoria" at times, even if the stories are obviously entirely different, but there are parallels and not just that "Victoria" also dominated the German Film Awards a few years ago. As for Schuch, he played his part really well here. His struggles about how he let the girl get too close to him felt authentic and his maybe most memorable moment is also his final scene when we see him stop and realize that he cannot save her, that he has to let her go as she runs into the forest. High time he realized in fact with his own child being slightly at risk before that. You could not know what would happen. Something tragic? This would have meant for the spiral of violence to be taken to the next level. First, she slightly hurts the girl at the school when she is mocked by her, then she hurts the other boy from the woman taking care of her. Anyway, that scene in which she holds the kid was also in the trailer I think. Yep, it was. Had to think briefly because it has been a long time since the trailer aired, long before corona, and actually this movie here is not even shown anymore in German theaters, but today they gave it to audiences one more time at the open air theater and audiences clearly thanked them for that because it was really full.

Some more stuff I remember: The final scene with the girl (Benni) running wildly from everybody at the airport and even if she was maybe a bit too fast to be realistic, it was still nice to see her go all-in with a bright smile on her lips. This was one moment when I understood how really many people were seemingly won over very quickly by Benni. She has a lot of passion wiith her aggression. Not just Schuch's character, but also her mother, the other woman who took care of her, Schmeide's character and also Schuch's character's partner quickly develops a liking in the girl. So there is a great deal of positivity here. And at the same time, I am glad they did not go for a truly happy ending. Or actually, you can even say it is maybe an unhappy ending and wonder what the girl will be like once she returns from Africa. I had no idea this is what they do with children struggling so hard. Also, it is a pretty tragic film at times. Just take the background story with the diaper that certainly has an impact on how Benni acts in the now. Or when she is put in the locker by her mom's lover and cannot get out. Or when her mom says that she will not take her despite saying otherwise before.

Still, there are uplifting moments here and there, for example when she calls the anti-violent coach Micha for the first time (how he wants to be called) and you realize she has respect for him and does not see him as an antagonist anymore because he is in charge of (i.e. to blame for) getting her to school. Or what I found as maybe the most uplifting moment at the end was the scene with the dog. Sure, you could wonder how the two are this close immediately after they had a "conflict" earlier and were literally barking at each other, but this scene implies that maybe a therapy that involves animals can be of help for the girl and her mental state because they perhaps soothe her. The owls are another example. She seems to like them. Also, overall, it is impossible for me to not recommend this movie because the attention to detail is pretty good from beginning to end. Just take a look at the poster here on imdb. There you see already that pink is a dominant color and, at the same time, it is a strong contrast to the girl and her behavior because she really feels more like a boy many times. And of course to her name too. She feels her real name Bernadette is too girly and that is why she wants to be called Benni. Overall, one of the better films on the subject of the protagonist being victim and perpetrator at the same time. I would not say it is among my favorite German movies from recent years, but it is good enough to be seen once and we can be curious what the young cast and crew have in store for us in the coming years. Their combined effort here gets a thumbs-up from me. Go check it out and pay attention to how attention, on several occasions, is a factor in this film and how the girl is longing for it and how she reacts if it is not given to her. That would be all. Watch.

There are so much Beni's in the world

[klevinbasha · 10/10 · 14 September 2021]

Between an adult and a child the fault at the end is always of the ADULT. Remember that.

All that she was asking for was... Love.

what an amazing real life struggle to display

[recepvesek · 10/10 · 16 March 2020]

This is a very hard film to watch. young lady is an amazing talent. she is 10 times better than anna kendrick+amy schumer+justin long+kristen stewart put all together... what an amazing director to get something out of this young and talented actress. everything is phenomenal about this movie... strongly recommended...

Georgeous, well done but eventually frustrating - maybe that's the point.

[chris-heilmann · 4/10 · 2 March 2020]

OK, "System Crasher" is raking in rave reviews, but I found it one of the most frustrating movies to watch ever. It is the story of a traumatised child who acts out and is generally impossible to handle and thus gets moved from foster care to foster care and clinic to clinic until one of the orderlies whose job it is to deal with aggressive teens and re-introduce them to society takes on the case. The setup of him as a well-loved, soft spoken and in control helper is gorgeous. The acting of the girl playing the disturbed Betty is outstanding. The camera work depicting her mental state and fragmented memory flashbacks is surprising and interesting. But the movies drags on and repeats the same topic ad nauseam. There are some surprises and some generally scary scenes, but all in all it all plays up to a non-existing climax. It just ends. It is an important topic and there is a lot to make this work and be important but I felt cheated in the end. Where depicting McMurphy in "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" as the hero, the uplifting music and frantic cuts every time Betty yet again foils another well-intentioned attempt to protect her from herself feels just annoying. She is no hero, there is no system she breaks and if it means that normal society can't deal with her, what's the alternative?

the parents are the true system crashers

[azurit · 10/10 · 29 September 2019]

It is obvious that Bennis mother and her father crashed the system by leaving Benni alone. That is the problem. Benni can never count on her mother, and that is a big pain. youth welfare systems can only try to mend that pain, but it is the mother and the father who should take care of Benni.

Beautiful story, great acting but no ending

[clairelu60 · 8/10 · 14 March 2020]

The story is so excellent, so real. I was skeptic all at first, thinking that the movie might over-antagonize Benni, making her far too manic to root for. But the way the film clearly illustrates why she's acting out allows for her extreme reactions to seem real and makes the audience empathize with her. This actress embodies the character so well and brings out many subtle nuances that make the character feel loveable rather than unrelateable. However, a movie with no real satisfying ending leaves me wishing I hadn't rooted for her, I was watching in anticipation, waiting to see what would happen and when the answer is nothing (or that it's left to my imagination) I feel so unsatisfied and empty. That would be like leaving a review that wasn't

Role Model (not)

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 7 March 2020]

Some things are tough to rate and watch. Seeing a troubled teen, who especially at the beginning but generally speaking is cursing a lot and does things that I would consider rude to put it mildly, is not an easy thing to do. But if you can overlook that harsh "reality" and get a sense of the underlying theme and criticism the movie gives us, you will find a lot of things to like.

Still this is anything but an easy watch, no matter what you think of our main character. It also is quite the example of overall good acting in a german movie. A couple of smaller roles excluded this is top notch and feels as real as it can be. If you are up for the challenge go ahead, but you've been warned. This is not a feel good movie as you can tell right from the very start

Welk done

[lisemaya · 9/10 · 31 January 2020]

Extreme good views from different angles. What an formidabele young actres she is. Heavy but seen gils like this come by in my work as a therapist. The feelings the people around such a lost young girl have are so real. Ive seen it happen. It is so sad. Well done putting this in a film.