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14 votes
“Equality is the soul of friendship.”
Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, 14-year-old Ali Messalam learned to hate "the Jews" from an early age. After fleeing Lebanon with his family, he arrives in Berlin Kreuzberg. Here, Ali tries to make friends with the Arab youths in the neighborhood. But first he has to prove what he can do. As a test of courage, he is asked to break into the apartment of his Jewish-Russian neighbor Alexander. The youngsters follow Ali and trash the old man's apartment to excess. But only Ali is recognized by Alexander, who returns early, and is reported to the police. In order to avoid a conviction and the associated deportation, he has only one chance: Ali must approach his hated enemy and ask for his support...
Director
Writer
Status
Released
Original Language
DE

Mahmoud
In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of students, artists, bohemians and barflys had flourished among crumbling buildings. Part of that microcosm is barkeeper Frank, semi-formally called 'Herr Lehmann' by friends and patrons. He hangs out drinking, sports utter disregard for anything beyond SO 36 and lazily pursues an affair with cook Katrin. His lifestyle is gradually disturbed, when his parents show up for a visit, things go awry with Katrin and his best friend Karl starts to act strange. Meanwhile, political turmoil mounts on the other side of the Wall.