In his aimless drifting through the varied happenings on the streets of Berlin, Niko Fischer (Tom Schilling, TV’s Generation War) could be excused for exclaiming ‘oh boy’ on more than one occasion. Though the film that takes the phrase as its name charts a mere 24-hour period in his twenty-something existence, an array of instances arise that easily earn that reaction. This is an ordinary day for Niko, but with unusual significance. Everything that can veer off in an unexpected direction does – and try as he might, he just can’t find a cup of coffee.
Waking at his girlfriend’s (Katharina Schüttler, Free Fall) flat, a terse early morning conversation renders Niko suddenly single; from there, a series of small difficulties begets a day of challenges. A psychiatrist (Andreas Schröders, Goethe!) renders him emotionally unstable, and won’t allow his driver’s license to be reinstated. His father (Ulrich Noethen, Hannah Arendt) finally discovers that he dropped out of law school two years prior, and stops his allowance. He meets a former classmate (Friederike Kempter, What a Man) in passing, connecting beyond the limits of their previous association, but finds that the remnants of their formative years still linger.
Jan Ole Gerster’s debut feature cycles through a spate of escalating episodes, all drawn from the mundane minutiae of attending appointments and interacting with family and friends, yet heightened through their close proximity in the narrative. As each event brings its own complications, the offbeat outcomes – giving a homeless person change, then being caught trying to take it back when an ATM retains his bankcard, for example – are quirkily contrasted against the film’s ongoing comedic thread: the lack of available caffeinated brew at every stop in Niko’s lengthy journey.
Rambling in its vignettes, centred on a wandering protagonist, and steeped in the malaise of the quarter-life crisis as it is, comparisons to Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha are easy. This is further amplified by shared monochrome colour schemes and the gorgeous essaying of their respective cities. Yet, Oh Boy carves its own niche in the increasingly crowded space of contemplative, late-stage, coming-of-age efforts, its consideration of the dramas of the everyday both played for greater amusement, and laid out in a more matter-of-fact manner. Abiding the social faux pas of pals, dealing with unexpected confrontation, and stumbling into the issues of strangers are simply posited as commonplace occurrences. Catharsis and a conclusion can only come in the form of the elusive brown liquid, not a tangible transformation.
As it charts Niko’s ups and downs, Oh Boy remains a character study, one carefully played by the filmmaker and actor. An early shot in a tiled mirror gives a visual representation of his fractured, not-quite-together state, something only revealed when the camera moves. That’s the feature’s focus and the evident thread in Schilling’s performance; though normality seethes through Niko, its achievement is only ever illusory. Gerster and cinematographer, Philipp Kirsamer, (Offroad) are patient and precise in staging each scene, but also fluid and breezy, to reflect this mindset. Schilling is as unassuming as is possible, but sells insight from beyond the slacker exterior. A jaunty, jazzy score by Cherilyn MacNeil and The Major Minors ties both together, while also ensuring the film doesn’t ever get too serious.
The flighty but finessed end result resonates with familiarity – and though its cinematic cohorts are many, that sense of being already acquainted with Oh Boy’s content enhances its authenticity and awareness of the problem it peddles. Again, there is no solution to the film’s warmly-pitched, whimsy-set predicament – only acceptance. The realisation that this is life may have you bellowing ‘oh boy’ indeed, hot mug in hand, and a wry smile on your face.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Oh Boy
Director: Jan Ole Gerster
Germany, 2012, 83 mins
Perth International Arts Festival
www.perthfestival.com.au
17 February – 2 March
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