Nikias Chryssos`s 2006 short film Hochhaus (Tower Block) offers a grim portrayal of an urban jungle in Germany where 12-year-old Daniel and his older brother Patrick have to resort to unconventional methods to earn money. Having raised his younger brother, Patrick feels as if he owns Daniel’s life and treats him with sadistic cruelty.
The young boy is forced to beg or do humiliating acts to amuse his older sibling, and his only salvation is the imaginary world he creates in his mind. It’s a world filled with Cowboys and Indians, in which even the junkie he accidentally meets during one of his begging trips achieves an almost heroic aura to Daniel and can be relied on for friendship.
Despite being a German film, Hockhaus has the characteristic of an art work inspired by Italian Neo-realism. It was shot on location and focuses on oppression and injustice, with the protagonist living in difficult economic and moral conditions. Some of the scenes are rather harsh to watch as the action and the talented acting performances, especially the expressions of the young Paul Preuss as Daniel, evoke a strong range of feelings in the viewer: from sadness to anger, but also from hope to despair at times.
Hochhaus is essentially a Coming-of-Age film as well, having a young character as lead protagonist with a strong emphasis on the effects of his surroundings on his personality. Despite living with his brother, Daniel is lonely – living in isolation. The boy’s parents are missing (it never becomes clear why), and Daniel is obviously in need of mentoring, of a father–figure and a friend. For a while, he creates and lives in an imaginary world in which a random junkie (who desperately needs help himself) becomes a person to look up to.
It’s not a crowd–pleaser, but the poignant and distressing Hochhaus is a film well worth one’s time and attention.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481541/combined
I like it — I’m just not sure how well it works. The narrative feels a bit disjointed in places. I found it particularly unbelievable that a 12 year old from such a background could have been so naive about heroin use.
Still, as you say, well-acted with strong production and direction.