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HipBeat

By Golu
We have all heard that Berlin is a city where there are no walls when it comes to gender oppression, keeping yourself from yourself, all barriers down, flat on the ground. Weirdness for some on full display, the city provides a safe space for 'outsiders'. And so it only made sense to create a documentary drama film about a young political activist embarking on a journey of self-discovery while searching for love and anarchy within Berlin's colourful queer community.

Angus is an Irish 20-something political fascist guy who spends his time spray painting his tag 'HipBeat' around town. When not strolling the streets with spray cans, he rolls around in bed and on ecstasy with his girlfriend Angie. At clubs, Angus is living the punk rock life of Riley, with lollipops in his mouth and butter in his a*s. However, he feels the draw of something deeper inside him. When he chats with a local drag queen, his eyes open up. They further open up when he chats with an old friend who is in an open relationship with his boyfriend. Angus is off to bathroom stalls sex encounters and drugs oblivious to his girlfriend. Then one day, she walks in on Angus in a dress applying makeup. Secrets start coming up, and feelings start getting hurt.

This gorilla style documentary-drama approach did not work for at all. For films like this to work, you have to have a connect with the main character. You need to understand the motivations behind, his past etc and what is it thats driving them to do what they are doing, but at no point was I able to connect with Angus. And to make matters worse, the style of direction with experimental and choppy shots are edited and combined together, which somehow are supposed to make sense to the audience. Half the time I was conflicted d if this was a documentary or drama or what? Too much identity crisis is going on explained through voice overs by Angus. His mood travels from one side to another and doesn’t even care to explain what’s the issue at hand. And when you don't care about what's happening, there is no way you can enjoy the film. I would say avoid. (2.5/10)
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