Boy 7

Waking up in a subway tunnel and not being able to remember anything - what could be worse? Maybe still being chased by the police and not knowing why. That's what happens to a young man (David Kross) who just manages to escape before he gets handcuffed. Not knowing who he is or where he lives, he is left with only one clue: the business cards of a restaurant he finds in his pocket. There, in the restroom, he discovers a notebook that appears to be his diary. It seems he is on the verge of uncovering a vast conspiracy whose masterminds want to silence him at all costs. When a young woman (Emilia Schüle) turns up dressed like him and with a burn on her left hand almost identical to his, he begins to realise the danger they are both in...

The young adult novel Boy 7 by Mirjam Mous has achieved something very special: it was made into two films in 2015. Once in the Netherlands, the author's home country, and once in Germany. Here, director Özgür Yildirim (Chiko, Blutzbrüdaz) took on the thrilling mystery story. With David Kross and Emilia Schüle he was able to win two highly talented young stars of German cinema for the leading roles. The look of the film is somewhere between a traditional paranoia thriller and a contemporary dystopia, which makes the film an interesting piece of young German cinema on its visual level alone.

Especially at the beginning, Yildirim's production sets a rousing pace. The viewer is thrown into the middle of the action and, like the main protagonist, is completely at a loss as to what is actually going on. When Samuel finds his diary and the action looks some time into the past, the pace is slowed down considerably. However, the entertainment value doesn't suffer from this at first. With engaging visuals, a coherent soundtrack and a smattering of humor, the action continues to be captivating. When Samuel a.k.a. Boy 7 slowly but surely gets to the bottom of the conspiracy, the tension even increases.

But until the story gets there, there are unfortunately also a few tough moments, from which the tension has to suffer a little. The good main actors can always pull this out, but the overall impression, which is very positive in itself, is marred a little bit by such lengths. Especially towards the finale there are some moments that slow down the otherwise fast-paced and exciting action a bit. But even if this is one of the reasons why Boy 7 has become a good, but not very good mystery thriller for the youth target audience, you have to give Özgür Yildirim and his team credit for trying to leave the well-trodden paths of the German youth film and to direct a thriller that is on an international level in every respect. Even if that didn't quite succeed, the attempt alone must be absolutely honored.

So this Bourne for Teens may not be a masterpiece. And maybe a little bit of potential was given away. But overall, the story, the actors and the visual realization can please over long stretches, which is why in the end, despite some minor weaknesses, there is also a more than deserved worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp