Oh Boy: Film review - ironic, offbeat humour and wry observation

(NC) Jan-Ole Gerster, 83 mins Starring: Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Justus von Dohnány

Tom Schilling and Ulrich Noethen in 'Oh Boy' (Schiwago Film)

You can see the influence of François Truffaut's Antoine Doinel films on German writer-director Jan Ole Gerster's charming debut feature.

The lead character, Niko (Tom Schilling), even looks a little like Jean-Pierre Léaud in Truffaut's films. He's a bright but feckless twentysomething drop-out who roams around Berlin having minor misadventures in life and love.

Gerster has a flair for ironic, offbeat humour and wry observation. Oh Boy is the antithesis of dark Germanic dramas about tormented youth. The black-and-white cinematography and jazz music can't help but evoke memories of Woody Allen.