Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
This film is certified
- Contains frequent hard drug use and strong sex references
Christiane F.
David Bowie’s image and music gives brooding energy to this tale of a junkie sex-worker in 70s Berlin.
Drama 1981 131 mins
Director: Uli Edel
Overview
Christiane F., Kai Hermann’s biography of a teen junkie and sex worker, caused a scandal on publication. As a recovering cocaine addict and father Bowie was shocked at witnessing teenagers getting their smack money from pick-ups at Berlin Zoo and so became interested in this film adaptation. Within the film, Bowie’s live show, tonally perfect Station to Station-era soundtrack and omnipresent image – on streets, subways and on vinyl albums passed from hand to hand – positioned him as a brooding god for the alienated youth of 70s West Berlin.
Contains frequent hard drug use and strong sex referencesRelated
Drama
Embrace of the Serpent Embrace of the Serpent
Action and Adventure 2015 124 mins Director: Ciro Guerra
The spirit of Werner Herzog and Apocalypse Now imbue this majestic Oscar-nominated odyssey through the heart of the Amazon.
Betty Blue Betty Blue
Drama 1986 185 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s story of a volatile, highly sexual relationship was one of the most successful French films of the 1980s.
Beyond the Horizon Beyond the Horizon
Drama 2019 88 mins Director: Delphine Lehericey
Under the relentless summer sun, Gus’s childhood is coming to an end as the long-awaited thunderstorms sweep across the exhausted countryside, taking a whole world with them in Delphine Lehericey sizzling rural coming-of-age drama.
Honey Cigar Honey Cigar
Drama 2020 99 mins Director: Kamir Aïnouz
Selma, 17, grows up in a bourgeois and secular Berber family. After meeting Julien, the dashing young man she's attracted to, she realises for the first time how restrictive the rules of her patriarchal family are.
Nadia, Butterfly Nadia, Butterfly
Sport 2020 107 mins Director: Pascal Plante
At 23, Nadia decides to retire from professional swimming and a life of sacrifice. After one final race the hidden excesses of the Olympic Village offer Nadia her first breath of freedom.
All Hands on Deck! All Hands on Deck!
Comedy 2021 96 mins Director: Guillaume Brac
A group of young adults, from different cultures and social backgrounds, meet during a shared summer in the southeast of France and embark on a on romantic adventure together.
David Bowie
Metropolis Metropolis
Science Fiction 1927 150 mins Silent Director: Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang’s expressionist, dystopian vision is one of the first science fiction feature films, and is arguably the most influential.
Radio On Radio On
Road movie 1979 100 mins Director: Chris Petit
Chris Petit's cult classic is one of the most striking feature debuts in British cinema – a haunting blend of edgy mystery story and existential road movie.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Horror 1919 77 mins Silent Director: Robert Wiene
One of the most iconic masterpieces in cinema history, Robert Wiene’s expressionist nightmare shook filmgoers worldwide and changed the direction of the art form.
Querelle Querelle
Drama 1982 109 mins Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Jeanne Moreau plays a jaded brothel madam caught up in the violent sexual awakening of Brad Davis' naïve young sailor in Fassbinder's fever dream of subversive eroticism.
Just a Gigolo Just a Gigolo
War 1978 106 mins Director: David Hemmings
David Bowie stars as the soldier-turned-drifter-turned-dancer for rent, in David Hemmings' Berlin melodrama set at the end of the Great War.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
War 1982 123 mins Director: Nagisa Oshima
An unflinching study of brutality and resistance, fear and desire in a Japanese WWII POW camp, directed with verve by Oshima and starring David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tom Conti.
New
Embrace of the Serpent Embrace of the Serpent
Action and Adventure 2015 124 mins Director: Ciro Guerra
The spirit of Werner Herzog and Apocalypse Now imbue this majestic Oscar-nominated odyssey through the heart of the Amazon.
Betty Blue Betty Blue
Drama 1986 185 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s story of a volatile, highly sexual relationship was one of the most successful French films of the 1980s.
The Epic of Everest The Epic of Everest
Non-Fiction 1924 87 mins Director: J.B.L. Noel
Premiere. A breathtaking and poignant account of the valiant 1924 British assault on the awe-inspiring peak, beautifully restored by the BFI.
Beyond the Horizon Beyond the Horizon
Drama 2019 88 mins Director: Delphine Lehericey
Under the relentless summer sun, Gus’s childhood is coming to an end as the long-awaited thunderstorms sweep across the exhausted countryside, taking a whole world with them in Delphine Lehericey sizzling rural coming-of-age drama.
The Monopoly of Violence The Monopoly of Violence
Documentary 2020 89 mins Director: David Dufresne
As anger and resentment grows in the face of social inequalities during the Yellow Vests movement in France, many citizen-led protests are being repressed with ever-increasing police violence.
Gallant Indies Gallant Indies
Documentary 2020 109 mins Director: Philippe Béziat
By bringing together urban dance and opera singing, 30 hip-hop, krump, break, voguing dancers reinvent Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque masterpiece, Les Indes Galantes.