Oskar Roehler is pretty unique. His film about 1980s West Berlin is not the least interested in a authentic depiction of the period but still his description fits. He sends his alter-ego Robert, a boarding school student who hates hippies, to Berlin with no money and no plan where his friend Schwarz gives him a cleaning job in a surprisingly chaste peep show establishment. During the day cum is wiped off the floor, also that of the mayor. From time to time Blixa Bargeld and Nick Cave drop by when they feel like it and occupy the back room. At night there is speed and vodka and Blixa is sometimes behind the bar and serves people drinks. Everyone looks older than they really are and everyone is stoned and just stand around. Robert sometimes visits his mother Gisela Elsner, who is scheming to murder her brother and sometimes his father Klaus Roehler, who was the RAF's treasurer and still has RAF money in his attic. And even though there is enough cash coming from the social welfare office so that regular peep show customers can throw their money around, Robert and Schwarz still need his Dad's RAF reserve money in order to establish drug ring. In addition the gay Nazi Gries appears on the scene, there is sex and love with the strippers and artists Gina and horrible job in an old-age home.
TOD DEN HIPPIES comes across as if comedian Didi Hallervorden in his non-stop nonsense phase watched too many John Waters and Lydia Lunch films and thought this would be good for top broadcasting slot. On the one hand this is total nonsense but this is exactly the reason why it is an accurate depiction of the time, which looked better on speed and totally drunk than it actually was.

Tom Dorow

Translation: Carla MacDougall