Film Archive

Oh Boy

Forum of Independents - Competition 2012 / Oh Boy / Germany 2012

Niko is in his late 20s and recently dropped out of college. He lives for the moment, oblivious to his growing status as an outsider until one day he’s forced to confront the consequences of his inaction. His girlfriend breaks up with him, his father cuts off his allowance, a psychiatrist confirms his "emotional imbalance”, and a peculiar beauty returns from his past. But all Niko wants is a decent cup of coffee…

Synopsis

Niko breaks another appointment with a good looking girl, acting as if he isn’t interested. At the same time, he loses his license and doesn’t even have enough for a coffee – his bank balance doesn’t look any more promising. Maybe Niko is just having a bad day but it’s more likely that things are like this every day, because life can be hard even if there’s not much going on. With a subtle nod to Woody Allen and the films of the French New Wave, the movie builds a subdued mood with the support of an interesting character whose behavior, although he does nothing wrong, occasionally goes against him. Even though they appear only briefly, the supporting characters are also memorable: they reveal quite a bit about themselves and, mainly, they manage to influence the main character. Despite being set in contemporary Berlin, the style of the film and its music stand in opposition to the spontaneity of the modern metropolis as the director draws the viewer’s attention to an introverted hero who walks the streets without ever taking his eyes off the sidewalk.

About the film

88 min / Black & white, DCP
World premiere
Director Jan-Ole Gerster / Screenplay Jan Ole Gerster / Dir. of Photography Philipp Kirsamer / Music Cherylin MacNeil / Editor Anja Siemens / Producer Marcos Kantis, Alexander Wadouh / Production Schiwago Film GmbH / Cast Tom Schilling, Marc Hosemann, Friederike Kempter / Contact Schiwago Film GmbH

About the director

Jan Ole Gerster (b. 1978, Hagen, Germany) gained experience at X-Filme Creative Pool productions where he worked on the filming of Tom Tykwer’s The Princess and the Warrior (2000) and Heaven (2002). He was assistant to director Wolfgang Becker on Goodbye, Lenin! (2003), and he also directed a documentary about the making of the film. He has created several commercials and music videos, as well as a documentary about Yann Tiersen, the composer who wrote the score for Amélie (2000). Oh Boy is his feature debut.