1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?
-drugs mean inspiration, his creation, its how he get through his day.
2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?
-extasy and cocain where the main drugs mentioned. Cocain for Ickarus was used on a daily bases. Extasy was used at a club one night that his pychosis started.
3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?
-almost as the same to the meaning of drugs for ickarus, it gives them a get away. It puts this generation into their own fantasy to get away from the rest of the world. They can all connect as one and see things in the same view.
4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?
-well, where do i begin? There were many many many society differences, starting with the party scene. You see Alice walking around looking for Ikarus and we see what she sees, there is a couple 'doing business' in a room and when she opens the door, they awknowledge her but keep on going, there is no embarassment.
5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?
-the generation show in the movies shows a generation that doesn't listen to 'the man'. They get creative and are independent. This generation does have potential to make the nation as a whole more creative and independent, theres not a define 'man' in charge, the nation is the man.
6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?
- I atually have not seen any 'cult' movie, didn't even know what one was untill the class talked about it. Even now I'm not quit sure what it is, or not sure i'll ever understand.
The 2008 movie, Berlin Calling, was quite an experience to watch. Comparing Berlin’s culture to our generations American Culture you see two completely different cultural norms. Where the differences were truly prominent are in the party scene. This is the scene where Alice is looking for Ickarus and as she travels around the club or house, where ever the party was taking place, you see different party scenes. She walks past many couples openly making out in the hallway, where in America, you might see that here with Public Displays of Affection (PDA) in clubs or even in school, but it is the intensity of their public display that was a bit risky. Moving on though the party scene, she opens a door to a small room. In the room there is a couple doing the dirty deed, in America if someone walked in on you doing the deed, you would try to cover yourself, yell to get out. It is a very private and personal, in most cases, matter that it is almost as if we are embarrassed of it as well, but in Berlin, in that room, they kept on going with their busy, yet made eye contact and acknowledged that Alice walked in, did not seem to bother them. Alice as well did not close the door right away, quickly shutting it and apologizing like one in America would do, she was actually trying to look beyond them to see in Ickarus was in the room with them! The drugs were a main part in this movie and at the same club but a different scene, after Ickarus has his psychosis, Alice goes back to the club, talks to the owner about the bad drug he was given and his reaction was different than an owner in America would. His reaction was ‘what a bad drug in my club, there are no BAD drugs in my club’, simply just worrying about it being bad, not the fact that there are any at all in his club. Overall, this was almost too awkward to watch as a class movie, it was a very good movie, good story line, questionable music (not something I am into) but overall a good movie, just awkward because of such different cultures between Berlin’s and my own.