I didn't get a chance to watch any other movies this last week except for my German class curriculum, so you're getting a twofer. We're still in East Berlin, except now we've moved to the glam rock decade. This film was not penalized like Trace of Stones and was actually a huge crossover hit. The film's star won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in West Germany for her performance.
Sunny (Renate Krossner) is a singer trying to make it big in the East German pop scene but just can't seem to break out of her rut touring with more traditional variety acts.
As a character, Sunny is a total badass, determined to live life on her own terms and to hell with anyone else. Naturally, this puts her at odds with the socialist lifestyle, which emphasizes collectivism. Everyone is equal, which means no one is a star. She's also sexually liberated, which is constantly under threat from various men, from the guy desperately trying to claw his way out of the friend zone, the bandmate that just won't take no for an answer, and randos at every bar who think that "musician" equals "easy". It's little wonder that she comes off as abrasive.
The film suffers from some pacing issues and some fairly cringeworthy editing. I don't necessarily recommend it based on those flaws but it is an interesting portrait of a woman trying to break free of traditional gender expectations in order to express herself as a totality, instead of a collection of parts.
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