Princess (2006) User Reviews

Uncouth youths in West German suburbia

[leaningt · 7/10 · 9 January 2007]

Birgit Grosskopf's hard-hitting debut feature film depicts four cigarette-smoking, alcohol-drinking, troublesome adolescents, who wander in between the concrete skyscrapers of downtrodden West-German suburbia. These uncouth youths are surprisingly not boys but girls, with attitude, quick-tempers and foul-mouths, who violently vent their scorn on any unfortunate soul who gets in their way. Surrounded by a society that is obsessed with health and sex, the alienated foursome are left to prick-tease their male peers and pick fights with their female rivals. Grosskopf's fine direction is coupled with a witty yet gritty script that contains daring sexual humour and brutal imagery. This is a fascinating and coldly told tale of friendship, abandonment and the beauty of youth, minus the innocence.

Character study that works well for the most part

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 18 June 2017]

"Prinzessin" or "Princess" is a German 80-minute movie from 2006, so this one is already over a decade old and it is the most known work to this day by writer and director Birgit Grosskopf. It focuses on a group of young women who fill their unfulfilled lives with violence and aggression. The results are eventually armed robberies, stabbing, physical fights and eventually murder as well. The cast does not include too many big names, but if you really like German films, you can still check it out and maybe find a few familiar faces. For me personally, this would be especially Irina Potapenko's beautiful face that you also find in the Oscar-nominated "Revanche" and "Mörder auf Amrum", a truly underrated crime thriller for the small screen from Germany. But back to this one here. It is all about the conflicts and the violence happening. Some of the character's depictions work well, others not so much. But it becomes obvious that complete escalation and perhaps death will be the only ways out for the title character here. I believe the acting overall was good too, even if the awards recognition may be slightly over the top. The "princess" in here by the way is not Potapenko's character as you could guess from the photo but Müller's. So my verdict here is a positive one overall as, even if the film did not really feel that realistic all the time (sometimes it does though with the solarium scene for example) and occasionally sacrifices credibility for shock value, it still has its strong moments and I believe you should give it a go. Thumbs up from me. I recommend checking it out.

Gritty violence in German suburb, well acted but a grimy story with little to redeem it

[Chris_Docker · 2/10 · 19 August 2006]

The gritty visual impact of a teenage girl walking over to another teenage girl (who is minding her own business) and then punching her brutally in the face for no reason is hard to ignore. In a West German suburb, a gang of girls struggle with their own angst. Yvonne is due to go to prison. Katharina has resettled from Russia to Germany and, although one of the gang, is ridiculed for her trainspotter boyfriend and vilified for her origins, while the other Russians that know her say she brings shame on them.

Princess (a name tattooed with glitter on the bottom of a pair of jeans) has a heavy dose of mindless violence, foul language, and some raw sexuality as the girls kick the sh*t out of each other and anyone else who ruffles their god-given right to be hooligans. These girls calmly discuss jail and parties as they get their nails done. The sexual attraction, especially with more 'normal' people, highlights how sex can be attractive when someone has nothing else to offer (in a 'down and dirty' sort of way). Hoping to prove he's a man, trainspotter boy volunteers for the forces and being sent to Afghanistan. Racist exchanges are not limited to Russians - those of Turkish origins get pulled in too. The gang's worryingly precocious young friend - a child of about eight or nine - copies their mannerisms, aggressive language, bluffing her way into a seedy night club - "she's a dwarf", they tell the doorman.

Princess can be visually arresting at times but would have been more shocking if made ten years ago. The editing is choppy in parts, but the main problem is the story, which has little context or overall point. It is difficult to care very much about these youngsters, and the alienation of their parents and community offers little chance of integration (although this may be the point the director is trying to make). The acting is excellent - all the characters are completely convincing - but whether we can be bothered being convinced is another matter.