Christiane F. (1981) ****

Christiane F. (1981) is a harrowing experience—a movie that I had been meaning to watch for decades and one I won't soon forget. An early sequence of kids causing hijinks set to David Bowie's " 'Heroes' " provides a brief moment of ebullience before the downward spiral and serves as a joyful reminder of youth. That iconic scene, along with the Bowie concert footage, is sublime, and I wish there was more of that before the depression sets in. But the realism of the film, along with the excellent filmmaking and naturalistic performances, is impossible to deny. I just don't know if this is a picture I could rewatch very often.