A club DJ begins to fall prey to the nightlife that's a major part of his career in this drama from Germany. Ickarus (Paul Kalkbrenner) has risen from spinning records in tiny dance clubs to becoming one of the leading lights in European electronica; his work as a producer has earned him a lucrative deal with a major label, he has a loyal following who will pack any hall where he appears, and Mathilde (Rita Lengyel), his manager and significant other, seems poised to launch him into pull blown stardom. But Ickarus also has a taste for the club drugs that surround him, and dealer Erbse (RP Kahl) keeps him supplied with cocaine and pharmaceuticals. In time Ickarus's appetites catch up with him and he ends up in rehab, but his recovery is supervised by Dr. Petra Paul (Corinna Harfouch), an ineffectual doctor Ickarus can easily manipulate to his advantage. It's not until Ickarus's A&R reps inform him that the record company is rejecting the material he's cut for his latest album that the DJ begins to realize his future lies in staying clean and sober. Berlin Calling star Paul Kalkbrenner is in real life a popular club DJ, though he and his management stress that the film is in no way based on his own experiences.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
