Oh Boy Flashcards
Director
Jan Ole Gerster
Main characters
Niko Fischer
Matze
Friedrich
Julika
Walter Fischer - Niko’s dad
Niko
Dropped out of Law school and lives in Berlin
No sense or direction in life
Finances his living with his father’s tuition fees, even though he dropped out
This day is the first day for Niko to develop from a boy into a man
He meets people who could be the type of man he will be in his future
Matze
open-minded and enthisiastic
His character creates a balance between light-heartedness and Niko’s introspection
Friedrich
old man meets Niko in pub
He gives Niko advice and offers him a unique perspective on life
Contrasting vies of adulthood and the world
Julika
feisty and vibrant personality
Struggles with her insecurities
A catalyst for Niko’s personal journey
Themes
Lack of direction and Identity
Redemption
Insecurities
Existentail Crisis
Alienation
Important to come to terms with the past
Lack of direction and identity
Niko experiences a sense of alienation and disillusionment in relation to the world around him. He struggles to find meaning and purpose in his life.
Niko has no direction in his life, he has been receiving money from his father for two years. He struggles to even get a coffee
Life without structure, no direction, he doesn’t know what he wants
Redemption and self-discovery
Niko’s journey becomes a quest for self-discovery and redemption
Insecurities
Julika is insecure
Her attempts to build a relationship with Niko and her social awkwardness reflect her feelings of not belonging or being accepted by others.
We see this when Niko and Julika have sex and she asks him to call her fat. This shows she is still insecure about her body
Black and White Aesthetics
The choice of black and white gives the film a timeless quality
Contrast - black and white simplifies the imaged and contrasts the emotional complexity of the characters
Symbolism - Lack of colour reflects the lack of vibrancy and meaning in Niko’s life
Wide shots
wide shots of Berlin cityscape, capturing wide, open spaces
These shots emphasise the isolation and disconnectedness the characters feel in the urban environment
Symbolism of the Coffee
Niko’s repeated attempts to get a cup of coffee symbolise his constant search for meaning and purpose.
It reflects Niko’s struggle with aimlessness and disconnectedness in his life
It is only at the end of the film when he finally manages to get a cup of coffee, that he gets a glimmer of hope and a solution to his journey
Coffee is the ‘goal’ and he gets it in the end, the other scenes between when he doesn’t get the coffee, repetition and frustration, gives the film structure
Symbolism of the characters
-The grieving neighbour, who is struggling with his wife’s illness, represents Niko’s own vulnerability and the feeling that his own life is coming to an end
-Matze represents a version of what Niko could still become - a person with potential and talent who still clings to his dreams and achieves nothing
-The old man in the bar, with his memories and regrets, is a reflection of Niko’s possible future. The old man lived a life full of missed opportunities and without adapting to the future, a stagnant figure of his childhood
Behaviour
How Niko behaves and reacts to situations and people is also an indication of the person he is.
He is always the victim of circumstances and feels like everything is against him.
The ticket machine doesn’t work and the ticket inspectors treat him like a real criminal
He gives his change to a homeless man and the card machine doesn’t work so he tries to take his money back but gets caught.
A gang approach Julika and he is the one who is beaten, he resists but Julika advances and he is beaten.
His father, who knows that his son has problems, won’t let him drink coffee and gets him alcohol instead.
Niko is always a victim of circumstances, but this is due to his inactivity and the fact that he has no motivation to go his way in life.
Niko bullied Julika and gets the chance to redo / heal it but has no success
