Life is all you get

In a huge city like Berlin you literally have to bump into your “big love” – or else it could be that your chance has forever passed. On his way to work at the slaughterhouse, Jan Nebel gets into a streetfight. Before he really knows what is going on, he beats up two police investigators and finds himself joined by Vera, an unknown beauty who runs away with him acrosss the backyards. The next day Jan is faced with the consequences: he loses his job, is imposed a fine and gets into trouble at home. On the other hand he has found Vera, a beautiful woman who turns out to be his dreamgirl. But their fortune is fragile: Jan is afraid of being HIV-infected, and Vera creeps out of his bed every night … Just like the other leading characters in this film, Jan and Vera are looking for their own identity, for friendship, a piece of luck and for their “big love”.

Feature films directed by Wolfgang Becker have been quite successful and were awarded several prizes, e.g. the Student Film Award in Hollywood and the Golden Leopard at Locarno. LIFE IS ALL YOU GET is a sensitive and subtle but also flashy and comical approach to people’s lives in a changing city, focusing on their dreams, fears, and desires.