Berlin
Jeder einmal in Berlin!
On a cold night, as pedestrians hurriedly traversed the street, Gereon's attention was drawn to an advertisement on a pillar. The inscription on the poster read, "Jeder einmal in Berlin!" which in English means "Everyone once in Berlin!" In one of the Chinese subtitle translations, "每个人都应该来柏林," and in English again, is "Everyone should come to Berlin!"
This scene is from the German TV series "Babylon Berlin," where Gereon Rath is the male protagonist. I started watching it while taking a German popular culture class, which spurred my curiosity to learn more about Germany. Gereon, a WWI soldier suffering from wartime PTSD, later became a police officer in Berlin, either to heal or escape from his past. Throughout the first three seasons, viewers witness the how unstable and fragile the Weimar Germany was, which eventually led the nation to become a Nazi state.
Berlin holds a certain appeal for me. In my opinion, it exudes freedom, youth, and wildness. It's like Bob Dylan as a city. The CCC (Chaos Computer Club), a hacker association I've heard tales about, was founded in Berlin, and it has attracted me to go there and experience the creativity of Berlin hackers.
"Victoria," a low-budget film winner of the 2015 Berlinale Best Film Awards, tells the story of a Spanish girl encountering a group of German boys and becoming a part of a bizarre midnight adventure on the streets of Berlin. It remains one of my top five movies of all time, especially for the original film soundtrack composed by Nils Frahm. My first viewing was at one of the HKIFF's screenings. The immersive experience created by the cinematography and the soundtrack was mesmerizing. The entire film was captured in a single take (or perhaps two? but you wouldn't notice it), taking viewers on a journey through Berlin streets unfiltered, as if you are a flâneur, right there with them.
I have two friends who used to live in Berlin: one is an architect, one is a software engineer. They both have unique characteristics, styles, and interesting backstories.
I haven't been to Berlin yet, but these memories make me crave a visit. My intention is subjective, yes; admittedly, I haven’t taken many other factors about the city into account—neither good nor bad. But I delight in imagining how it would be, and if experiencing it might decharm my fantasy, that's fine.
"Babylon Berlin" was refreshing and provided historical context unfamiliar to me. During that class, I made a visual map of the characters' relationships on Miro, which I found quite helpful for understanding the plot. Here it is:
