TRIBECA 2019 REVIEWS: Hari Sama’s THIS IS NOT BERLIN is a turbulent coming-of-age story set against a familiar 80s backdrop

The 1980’s were a turbulent time in much of the world. While the Reagan era was warmly embraced by much of America, there was also a virulent strain of counterculture rebellion going on. Punk rock lifestyles were in full swing, resisting the increasing conformity of conservative mores. In Mexico, where the political situation was far more fragile, the radical art scene sometimes went to greater extremes in order to find expression. In Hari Sama’s This Is Not Berlin, this moment in time is captured through the eyes of Carlos, a high school kid struggling to find a place where he fits in. His journey from somewhat “normal” teenager to running in a dangerous Avant Garde crowd is caught in gritty scenes with a compelling storyline accentuated by fantastic performances. Pacing itself organically between quiet introspective scenes and sequences of all-out anarchy, this is an audience-pleaser which nevertheless takes pains to portray the tale with great empathy and sincerity.

The very first scene sets the stage perfectly. Carlos is in the middle of a rumble. Rival high schools are stomping on each other during one of their regularly-scheduled huge fights involving dozens of young boys. Blood is let, shiners are earned on broken faces, clothing is torn – if they weren’t wearing school uniforms, it could look like a wild west brawl straight out of Deadwood. And there’s Carlos looking confused or maybe dispassionate and dissociated. Sure, when it’s all over, he acts like he’s one of the gang. But this form of comradery doesn’t resonate with him. Since nobody really wants to be alone, he goes along with it, finding minimal refuge when one-on-one with his close buddy Gera or his cool biker uncle. He’s also a terrific amateur engineer whose passionate about his tech skills. Other than that, though, there doesn’t seem to be much meaning in life for him.

Things change when Gera’s sister – a budding rock and roll singer whose band does New Wave gigs in Mexico City’s rollicking club scene – invites Carlos and Gera to one of those dank gigs. Introduced to a larger world of extreme performance artists, intense political protests, fluid sexual exploration and loads of drugs, the underage boys are enthralled by a life they had no idea could be theirs to lead. None of this happens through some sort of forced narrative trickery which many directors fall into. Sama uses each and every scene to examine every critical stage of character development. Blessed with a strong cast which compliments his formidable directorial skills, viewers will feel drawn into Carlos’ wild ride. While the kid makes some mistakes which we may have seen very often in film, Sama also steers Carlos and the supporting cast through more unexpected territory of self-discovery which doesn’t necessarily land where weary drama fans might fear it all would.

Woven into the character narrative are historical inflection points which color the background spectacularly. This was the moment when the AIDS crisis was full blown, and the gay subculture depicted in the film was greatly affected by those events. Then there was the War on Drugs spilling over the America border, turning law enforcement towards draconian tactics which at one point raises the stakes of the story considerably. But for all the daring stunts Carlos’ new clique pulls off in public, and for all the dangerous behavior he falls into, the greatest tragedy in the film comes out of left field. Forget the PSA melodrama used to scare kids straight. Real life is scary enough and when it all comes crashing down on Carlos, it puts all that hard-partying madness instantly into perspective. This Is Not Berlin could have easily been yet another exploitative procedural using cultural gimmickry to make the film “feel important.” Thankfully, Sama used those notes in just the right places throughout the oeuvre, leaving the heights of the dramatic symphony to be engineered by more honest human feelings. And that’s no small feat. The balance this director struck will feel very familiar to anybody who’s lived long enough to both dodge a few bullets in life, as well as get hit by some.