BLACK SHEEP

Now who said the Germans have no sense of humour? Well if you ever believed that disgracefully ill informed stereotype then more fool you as the case for prime German (albeit disgracefully tasteless) German humour is amply made with Oliver Rihs rich black comedy BLACK SHEEP (Schwarze Schafe)

Set in suburban Berlin, BLACK SHEEP tells the multilayered tale of several very differing groups of characters following their downward spiral into darkly humourous oblivion. First there's struggling former student Charlotte Heinze struggling to make ends meet whilst her alcoholic boyfriend Peter (a failed artist who can only paint abortions) continually embarrasses her in her day to day dealings; then there's unemployed former Rolex hand model Boris Wecker whom after conning his way into bed with a high flying Vogue staffer (the gorgeous Barbara Kowa as Nadja) decides somewhat misguidedly that the only way to get money to be with his potential love would be by getting his good friend Roger to lop his hand off for the insurance money; then there's the two lazy gay stoner anarchists who are plotting to get their flat renovated on the cheap but are distracted by the square jawed actor they meet; then of course there's the two cycling Satanists who plot to carry out a sordid blood ritual to try gain wealth and fame (though finding a suitable female sacrifice proves problematic for the witless duo) and finally there's the trio of hormonally challenged young Turkish lads (Ali, Birol and Halil) who spend the duration of the movie trying as many (growingly hilarious) ways as possible to get their wicked way with girls, any girls!

And so the scene(s) are set for one of the most delightfully absurd comic farces you'll have seen in quite some time. Director Rihs takes a massive gamble with a venture such as this; comedy can so easily fail, especially so low budget comedy with relatively new performers, but he manages to carry it off well with a truly impressive and pretty much faultless movie.

Inevitably there will be comparisons with the early work of Kevin Smith, the film is shot mostly in black and white (with well utilized splashes of colour on occasion) and the layered snapshots of candid suburban absurdity is somewhat akin to the content of the Clerks series but what BLACK SHEEP does have is a sense of believability (even within some of the downright absurd moments) that shows a more mature aspect that Smith's movies have since lost.

It should be noted that this is certainly no Woody Allen experience as, particularly so in the films final reel, there is moments of jaw dropping bad taste that will test even the most hardened of sick monkeys viewing. Tasteless doesn't even begin to describe some of the films more outrageous moments. But don't also be misguided into thinking that this is some sort of Kevin Smith meets American Pie as that would be doing BLACK SHEEP a grave injustice as it's one of the most intelligent and satisfying black comedies to hit the small screen in quite some time.

The success of BLACK SHEEP, whilst in the main can be attributed to director Rihs and co-writer Olivier Kolb, should also be accredited with the cast who deliver sterling performances throughout (with particular note going to hapless Satanists Daniel Zillmann and Kirk Kirchberger along with Jule Böwe as the downtrodden Charlotte) who alongside the blistering score by Ramon Orza make for 90 minutes or so of highly refreshing comedic fun.

This welcome DVD release from Britfilms TV is an equally gratifying affair; the film print looks great and comes with optional English subtitles that are clear throughout. Extraswise there's a highly amusing 'making of' documentary that is in fact a playful extension of the movie itself with the 'characters' themselves a year down the line explaining what's happened to them since making the movie (with many hilarious results making this a very welcome extra feature) and on the reality front there's a great documentary which follows the filmmakers and cast as they tour a print of the film around Germany with many great candid moments and highlights of the various question and answer sessions that come with such screenings (essential viewing for aspiring interviewers as a lesson in how to try not ask the inevitably predictable questions) and wrapping proceedings is a fun wee bonus music video to accompany the package that in itself has some moments of amusement.

BLACK SHEEP is without doubt one of the highlights so far this year on the underground black comedy front and with this DVD package an equally satisfying presentation from Britfilms TV - highly recommended (though get those sick bags ready!)

Review by Alan Simpson