5 Must-See Movies filmed in Berlin...

There is no doubt the two World Wars shaped this city, or at very least left a significant scar across its face, but Berlin is so much more than that. If you're like me, you love the rich history and culture of Berlin, but find it difficult to locate anything to read or watch about this ever-changing city without hearing about you know who. Never fear, I have listed five must-see movies featuring Berlin that do not include war. Prost!

Run Lola Run- 1998

When Lola's boyfriend, Manni, accidentally forgets 100,000 Deutsche Marks, which just so happen to belong to his unsavory gangster boss, on the U-Bahn, she is given 20 minutes to find the money and meet Manni before his kingpin boss gets to him. Manni contemplates risking his life to rob a store for the money, but Lola pleads with him to wait. The film then follows Lola in real-time as she runs across the city of Berlin, attempting anything she can think of to raise the money needed. This is an experimental film in which the plot restarts with each failed attempt by Lola, leading the viewer to three different scenarios before their climactic endings. It's up to you to decide which ending works for you. If you like art house films, then this modern classic is for you.

Rabbit Without Ears (Keinohrhasen)-2007

I loved this film! It's not available in English but there are subtitles. It was directed by, and stars, Til Schweiger of Inglorious Basterds fame. But don't expect Hugo Stiglitz's level of brutality in this romantic comedy. Ludo Decker (Schweiger) is a womanizing, ill-mannered paparazzi who makes his living harassing the rich and famous in Berlin until he accidentally (and literally) crashes the wedding of a famous heavyweight boxer. Ludo and his photographer are arrested. As punishment, Ludo must serve three hundred hours of community service at a daycare center. It isn't until he reports for duty, does he realize the person running the daycare center, and who will be reporting back to the courts, is a woman named Anna who he brutally taunted in grade school, and she hasn't forgotten. Tensions between the two eventually dissipate as they become friends then lovers.

Berlin Syndrome-2017

If you love to cringe watch creepy, obsessive relationships like the ones in Fatal Attraction or the Netflix series You, you'll love this movie. This physiological thriller is a cautionary tale about a young photographer from Australia living in modern-day Berlin. With no friends yet and only a gold ring her mother gave her to pawn for a flight home if things went south, Clare Havel meets a handsome, charismatic Berliner named Andi. Their one-night stand quickly dissolves into a nightmare when Clare wakes up to the realization that Andi has left for work and she has been locked inside his high-security apartment. Yikes. And you thought dating in the US was tough.

You can watch Berlin Syndrome on Netflix

Unorthodox-2020

Technically, this is a series, but it's definitely worth a watch. The story is set in modern-day Berlin and is centered around Esty, a Brooklyn-born Orthodox Jew. The story follows Esty as she escapes an unhappy marriage and her ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She finds her way to the Berlin neighborhood where her estranged mother had escaped to years before. Esty attempts to navigate this new world of Berlin nightlife and sinful freedom, but it isn't long before her husband finds out she is pregnant with his child and travels to Berlin with orders to bring her back to the community and family she tried to so desperately to shed.

You can watch Unorthodox on Netflix

Victoria-2015

Victoria is a critically acclaimed film set in modern-day Berlin and revolves around the life of a young Madrid ex-pat and talented pianist currently working at a Berlin cafe.

During a late-night clubbing in Berlin's Mitte district, Victoria meets a group of men. After a night of flirtations, she grows closer with one of them and their night of exploring the Berlin club scene together turns into a wild bank robbery.

Victoria is filmed in one continuous 138 minutes shot. This lends to the film's artsy, adrenaline-filled storyline. For an American version of this filming style, check out Hitchcock's film Rope.

You can watch Victoria on Amazon Prime.