Flickering Roads

An unpretentious road movie through the underside of contemporary Germany. Swaggering delinquent teenager Micka and abandoned Rumanian immigrant Gena try to steal the same car. When they subsequently swindle café waitress Phillipa out of their bill and her job, all three find themselves on the lam, estranged from society and hounded by the police. Despite losing his way in places, director Hebendanz treats his several subjects in a light and determinedly balanced fashion, forgoing both judgment and cliché. The open ending leaves one rather more optimistic about the prospects for this makeshift family than for the society they finally abandon.