Review of I Don't Want to Be a Man

Ossi enjoys male activities such as smoking, card playing, and being generally boisterous. When her uncle is gone on a trip, a new strict guardian Dr. Kersten arrives. His overbearing nature pushes Ossi over the edge, and she acquires a male outfit and decides to spend a night on the town. In the process she discovers being a man isn't always as wonderful as she thought. She also meets Dr. Kersten as a party, and they become friends, drinking the night away. It is not until the next morning that the Dr. realizes the "boy" he was partying with (and even kissed in his drunkenness) is his charge Ossi, and they seem well on their way to being lovers with Ossi declaring in the end "Ich mochte kein Mann sein!" This movie is an interesting commentary on gender identity and youth culture during the Weimar era. Ossi takes on a male role, but fundamentally she does not want to be a man. In the end of the movie, she is happy to regain her feminine role, though she has expanded her personal power by demonstrating to Kersten that she can be just as masculine as him.