Berlin Calling

Watching Berlin Calling, I enjoyed watching the life of Ickarus Kalkbrenner and his difficulties with drugs and managing his music at the same time. Ickarus had used drugs to escape from reality and get away from the real world. He seemed to enjoy the way the drugs made him feel, especially while producing music. His fans drank and snorted drugs to give a crazy effect of his music and enjoy the night as long as possible. In their own society, drugs were a way to dance and have fun all night long. Cocaine, meth and LSD were only a few of many drugs taken by Ickarus and his fans. In Ickarus's subculture, people who like the music Ickarus makes, is a great combination with drugs. It's a way to party and have fun. For Ickarus, drugs helped Ickarus stay up late to make music and find a way to produce great beats.

In German society, I saw that Ickarus's father was supportive of Ickarus and wanted to help him and valued Ickarus's ideas of getting out of treatment and being free. Whereas in the U.S., it is more common to see parents worried for their kids and want them to stay in treatment. Some parents even give no option to their kids and push or make their kids go to treatment until they are better. I also saw that Ickarus's brother had visited him to tell him that he was moving away. I feel that in the U.S. family is hard to part with, more so when a member is in trouble or in need of help.

I think that after rehabilitation and motivation, Ickarus provided better work ethics for his music. Being clean and sober had helped him in many ways by getting a chance to talk to his old girlfriend and make music that Alice didn't want to receive in the first place. Hard work pays off in Germany and it shows in this movie by Ickarus.

After watching and reflecting Berlin Calling, I can see that Germany is comparable to the U.S. in many ways. One of the ways being that they have treatment facilities overall and programs to make anyone get better, including popular music producers. It shows the challenges that people from different countries overcome, with many obstacles to conquer. Someone in treatment doesn't always have it easy when they think they have everything they need. Anyone in treatment could probably agree that going through rehabilitation is hard work and takes some motivation. It was weird to see how the buses, toilets, and streets look in Germany compared to the U.S. Even some of the styles people have in clothing were different. It was cool to see that even though there are similarities in how people interact and go through the treatment process, some things are also different. Like I have stated before, the interaction with family is different in some ways. The parents care for their kids, but in a different way. Here in the U.S., families care so much to put their kids in facilities and programs and won't let them come home until their better. In Germany, it appeared that the parents are likely to side with their children and trust that the children know what's best, whether it is or not. It's easy to part with members of your family in Germany, where in the U.S., it's a struggle to watch your kids go away.