This is Not Berlin

Hari Sama’s electrifying coming-of-age tale that embodies the anarchic spirit of experimental post-punk. The film, which takes place in 1980s Mexico City, transforms into a kaleidoscopic portrait of avant-garde art, direct-action protest, queer awakening, and the dizzying, dangerous freedom of a world seemingly without rules. Anchored by marvelous performances from its young cast, and Sama’s assured, inventive sense of style, it’s a picture suffused in both historical perspective and a forward-looking sense of the possible.