SHARE
COPY LINK

CULTURE

Berlin gentrification takes spotlight in new film by actor Daniel Brühl

German-Spanish actor Daniel Brühl called on some of his more "humiliating" Hollywood experiences for the black comedy "Next Door", his directorial debut premiering in competition at this week's Berlinale film festival.

Berlin gentrification takes spotlight in new film by actor Daniel Brühl
Brühl in a Berlin 'Kneipe' in a scene from Nebenan. Photo: DPA

The German-Spanish Brühl, who shot to fame aged 25 with the bittersweet Berlinale contender “Good Bye, Lenin!”, is now himself up for the Golden Bear top prize Friday at an event that has gone all-virtual due to the pandemic.

Since his early success, Brühl, now 42, has starred in hits including “Rush”, TV series “The Alienist” and the “Captain America” franchise.

READ ALSO: Germany holds virtual Berlinale film festival 

“Next Door” (Nebenan) tells the story of Daniel, a preening German-Spanish actor played by Brühl who like the director himself lives in a gentrified district of Berlin and is up for a role in a major superhero movie.

On his way to the airport, he stops in at one of the German capital’s traditional corner pubs to rehearse his lines.

‘Vain and narcissistic’

Trying to understand his character’s “motivation”, Daniel frantically calls Marvel executives begging them for more pages of the top-secret screenplay so he can better prepare.

Daniel practises the ridiculous dialogue with a familiar Marvel comics growl while watched by Bruno, a mysterious local sitting at the bar who soon reveals he knows more about Daniel’s life than he should.

Bruno is a native East Berliner who doesn’t take kindly to the wealthy newcomers who have moved into the area and driven up prices, and he’s immune to Daniel’s attempts to charm him.

Their small talk turns combative, then sinister as Bruno shows the unctuous Daniel who actually has the upper hand.

Despite the obvious parallels, Brühl joked, “I’m a vain and narcissistic man but I’m not as horrible as the guy we see in the movie”.

He told AFP he wanted “Next Door” to tackle both the transformation of Berlin, where rents have increased more than 75 percent over the last decade, and the occasional silliness of the entertainment industry.

READ ALSO: In graphs: How gentrification has changed Berlin

“I’m making fun of all the (movie) projects, all the ones that I really loved doing. But I also had some experiences in which I felt ridiculous and humiliated,” he said.

“I mean being sent a page where everything is watermarked and blurred and then you have three lines and don’t have any context and people expect you to pull off some magic performance and you think like ‘what the fuck, what is this?'”

‘Ich bin kein Berliner’

Brühl called it “a very purging, cleansing experience for me to show this humiliating aspect finally in a movie”.

But he admitted to being a little afraid of biting the hand that feeds him with his savage satire.

“Someone like (Marvel president) Kevin Feige — he has a great sense of humour. That’s something I like about Marvel. So I hope that when these guys see the movie they understand the joke,” he said.

He sought inspiration from the Coen brothers and fellow actor-turned-director Julie Delpy for the wild shifts in mood in the movie, which was written by bestselling German author Daniel Kehlmann.

Brühl, who grew up in the western German city of Cologne but whose parents live in Barcelona, has called Berlin’s now upscale Prenzlauer Berg district home since the early 2000s.

He said he wanted to take on the ongoing friction between rich and poor in Berlin as well as easterners and westerners three decades after the Wall fell.

“I was privileged to be rather successful as a young man being an actor,” he said.

“But no matter where I went, I always felt like an invader, be it in Prenzlauer Berg or in Barcelona where I found an apartment in 2010.”

He said that even today, Berlin can still give him that fish-out-of-water feeling.

“Even after 20 years, there’s certain encounters that I have where I truly feel, ‘Ich bin kein Berliner’ (I’m not a Berliner).”

By Deborah Cole

Member comments

  1. Pingback: Anonymous
Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

CULTURE

8 easy and fun ways to learn more about Germany

One of the most difficult things about moving to a new country is immersing yourself in the culture and history. Here are eight effortless ways to deepen your knowledge of Germany.

8 easy and fun ways to learn more about Germany

Whether you’ve been in the country 10 days or 10 years, there are bound to be some parts of Germany you don’t know as well as others, or gaps in your knowledge about its history and culture. 

From the rich maritime history of northern cities like Hamburg to the vibrant folk traditions in the south, Germany is a diverse and fascinating country, and finding out more about it can be hugely rewarding.

Of course, not everyone has time to pore over endless history books or study the complete works of Goethe – and the good news is, you don’t have to.

Getting to know Germany better can be as easy as strolling through a new city, binge-watching German TV or visiting a fun museum with family and friends.

To get you started, here are eight easy ways to learn more about Germany’s history and culture.

Visit a folk festival 

Regardless of the season, there are endless folk festivals to enjoy all around Germany, and they’re far more than just opportunities to drink beer and eat sausages (although you can definitely do that too). 

From finding out about Riesling wine in the Mosel Valley to Spargel (asparagus) in Beelitz, folk festivals are a great way to dip your toes into regional customs, cuisine and culture and soak up the feelings of local pride. 

Whether it’s a large-scale event like Munich’s Oktoberfest or the Weimar Zwiebelmarkt, or a more intimate gathering like Lübeck Hansafest, most folk festivals are a great way to get a feel for specific regions in Germany. What’s more, you’ll often see local artists on the line-up and local craftspeople selling their wares, most of whom will be happy to chat with you about what they do. 

READ ALSO: 10 unmissable events taking place in Germany in 2024

Take a crash-course in German history

If talk of the Holy Roman Empire or Hanseatic League leaves you scratching your head, you may want to find a fun way to brush up your knowledge of German history.

For those who are short on time, there are few better options for doing so than the Deutschlandmuseum in Berlin. This new addition to the capital’s museum scene is located just a stone’s throw from Potsdamer Platz and the Mall of Berlin and promises to take visitors on a whirlwind tour through 2,000 years of German history.

Deutschlandmuseum Berlin

Visitors learn about the Ancient period deep in the midst of the forest at the Deutschlandmuseum in Berlin. Photo: David Weyand CC BY-ND 4.0

Starting in the ancient world and ending in the present day, the Deutschlandmuseum covers 12 major epochs, including the Reformation, Englightenment, Hilter’s Third Reich and the post-war division of Germany.

Along the way, you can test your knowledge with pop quizzes, but the sights and sounds of each fascinating era are what truly makes the experience memorable. 

The whole thing can be done in a single hour, though the atmospheric scenery and interactive exhibits that transport you back in time may inspire you to linger a little longer. 

Make a German music playlist

For a little hit of German culture on the go, why not make a playlist full of Germany’s top artists and listen to it while travelling or doing chores at home?

If you’re stuck for inspiration, music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube have some ready made playlists you can nick ideas from, or even just listen to in their entirety to discover your new favourite German artists. 

This extensive playlist on Spotify, made by user Loki, covers hundreds of tracks and organises German music into different genres, so whether you’re into electro-pop, techno or hip hop, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for. 

READ ALSO: Why are people in German-speaking countries so obsessed with Schlager music?

Go on a walking tour 

It may sound like something only tourists do, but taking a walking tour either in your own city or elsewhere can open your eyes to new aspects of German culture and history you may not have known about before.

Prince Albert in Coburg, Bavaria

Tourists look at a statue of Prince Albert in Coburg, Bavaria, as part of a walking tour. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Pia Bayer

Though history tours are often the most popular, you can find endless options to suit your interests, from vineyard and local restaurant tours to vintage clothing stores, graffiti and street art.

Websites like GetYourGuide and Airbnb are good places to start looking for tours in your area, but if there’s something specific you’re interested in, you can always Google it and see what comes up. 

Join a weekly Stammtisch 

This one will depend a lot on where you live, but if you’re in a city, joining a regular Stammtisch can be a great way to meet new people, improve your German skills and generally get an insight into life in Germany.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a Stammtisch is an informal gathering, usually at a bar or restaurant, with a group of people who meet up on a regular basis. The name itself refers to the table people sit at, with ‘Stamm’ referring to the regular guests at the establishment. In other words, the Stammtisch is the regular table reserved for this group (traditionally at least!). 

READ ALSO: What you should know about Austria and Germany’s ‘Stammtisch’ tradition

There are many different types of Stammtisch, with some dealing with specific topics like politics or sport, and others simply acting as an opportunity to meet people. Whichever one you decide to go to, what easier way could there be to learn about German culture than gathering in a warm Kneipe and enjoying a cold beer? 

Binge-watch German cinema 

From cult classics like Metropolis and Good Bye Lenin to international breakthroughs like Toni Erdmann, Germany has produced some brilliant films over the years.

So whether your goal is to learn more about German history or simply enjoy some high-quality cinema, enjoying a movie night at home is a fun and effortless way to get to know Germany better. Most popular films have English subtitles or dubbing, so language should be no barrier. 

Good Bye Lenin props

Authentic GDR-era props are prepared on the set of the cult film Good Bye Lenin in Berlin Friedrichshain. Photo: picture alliance / Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa | Jens Kalaene

Of course, there are also plenty of film festivals that run around the country, most famously the Berlinale, which runs for around two weeks in February. Though Berlin’s film fest is a celebration of international cinema, there are always a few German films in the programme, so keep an eye out for those if you want extra brownie points. 

If you’re looking for something to binge watch, there are plenty of entertaining German TV shows you can find on streaming services like Netflix or on broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

It doesn’t have to be high-brow, either: you can learn plenty about German society and life by finding your new fave reality TV show, and we’ve got the ultimate list here:

The five weirdest and best reality TV shows for improving your German

Sample local food and drinks

This one’s fairly obvious, but going to a nice local restaurant while travelling in Germany, or a local farmers’ market or food festival, can teach you a lot about Germany.

Whether it’s sipping an Apfelwein while eating potatoes in green sauce in Frankfurt or tucking into a Störtebecker beer and Labskaus in Hamburg, there’s huge variety in Germany’s regional cuisine – and often a fascinating tale behind every dish. 

A sign for Spargel in Schleswig-Holstein

A sign for German white asparagus (Spargal) on an old farmers’ cart in Schleswig-Holstein. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken

Alternatively, finding out more about local dishes online and even trying your hand at preparing a few is a great hack for feeling well integrated.

READ ALSO: The foods you have to try while visiting Hamburg

Immerse yourself in German literature 

This is one for the bookworms (or Leseratten – reading rats – as the case may be): tucking into a German novel can teach you loads about the German way of life, the country’s complex history and the thoughts and ideas that have shaped Germany today. 

Admittedly, not all of the classics are light bedroom reading – The Tin Drum by Günther Grass is notoriously lengthy – but there are plenty of shorter novels that are a perfect jumping off point.

Thomas Mann’s novella, Death in Venice, is one of them, and The Reader by Bernhard Schlink is another, but you can always check out our top 10 recommendations for more inspiration:

10 German books you have to read before you die

Have you got any tips for an easy way to learn more about Germany’s culture, language and history? Get in touch and let us know. 

SHOW COMMENTS