Supermarket

Roland Klick's 1974 German film takes place on the streets of Hamburg. Willi is young, homeless and broke, staying afloat on small thefts. Two people take an interest in him: a journalist who wants to use him for a story and a pimp who wants to pull him into prostitution. A relationship with a woman makes another life look possible, and he plans a robbery to find the money. The film shoots the harbour district with documentary attention; the locations are real and most of the extras come from there. It does not romanticise youth on the street and shows that the people offering help have their own interests. It is counted as work standing apart from the German mainstream of its period. Who it's for: viewers who like European street films of the seventies. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a hopeful ending; the film does not allow one.