Fourteen year old Maik is the classroom outcast, the weird kid nobody wants to know. Until the arrival of a tall Russian kid know as Tschick whose strange behaviour makes even Maik wary of him.
When the summer holidays come it looks like being a lonely time for Maik. His mother is at the "beauty farm" (in rehab to get some relief from her chronic alcoholism) and his dad is off on a "business trip" (on holiday with his young lover). So when Tschick turns up with a stolen Lada he might as well go along with his fellow weirdo.
It's a fairly conventional road trip movie from then on, as the pair have unplanned adventures and meet up with some interesting characters. There are chases, misunderstandings, thefts and even a bit of romance. This could all turn out to be very predictable and dull, so it's to director Fatih Akin's credit that this is great entertainment. It's kept light and played for laughs. The filming makes imaginative use of the German countryside, and the closing scene in the swimming pool is wonderful.
It might not offer much novelty, but Goodbye Berlin is well made, well acted and full of laughs and the exuberance of teenagers exploring their own selves. Worth a look.
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