Intense, thriller-like view upon the fast changing face of Berlin. "The fear of emptiness" visualized in a thrilling documentary.
Most reviews say this is just for those who are interested in architecture, but I think this is not true. (I am not the biggest fan of architecture myself, but I am interested in the face, look and feel of Berlin... as it was in the past and as it is today.) The emotional, atmospheric, visual appealing and quite intense documentary shines a spotlight onto the fast change of building structures within the city tells a more universal story: the emptiness of post-war (post DDR) Berlin... that needed to be erased as FAST as they could. Ruthless, megalomaniac, powerful.
The captured images are mostly up close or thrilling wide angle shots of the fast-paced concrete jungle in Berlin. Otherworldy music, building site noise-scapes, seemingly un-emotional construction talk of known (and unknown) architects... it takes you into a world where few people (CEOs of construction companies and architects) rule over the look and feel of a whole city and how it will look in the 21st century. This gives a deep insight into how cities are constructed and how the trauma of a war-struck 20th century had to be overcome.
They also talk about how the city looked before war and many (very emotional, even sad!) montages of bombed, historic ruins that were blown up intentionally to create space for something new... it shows how fast and inevitably change occurs... not only in Berlin - but if you think a bit more universal - everywhere in life.
For me, this was quite a deep and moving documentary, that should not just be valued by those interested in architecture.