Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Esto no es Berlín

Play trailer Poster for Esto no es Berlín 2019 1h 55m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
82% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In 1986 Mexico City, a 17-year-old boy doesn't fit in anywhere, not in his family nor with the friends he has chosen in school. But everything changes when he is invited to a mythical nightclub, where he discovers the underground nightlife scene.

Where to Watch

Esto no es Berlín

Esto no es Berlín

What to Know

Critics Consensus

This Is Not Berlin uses one young man's sexual and cultural awakening as the fuel for a personal story with widely resonant themes.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Ty Burr Boston Globe 08/29/2019
2.5/4
The details are fresh and the lead actor holds the screen even as his character withholds himself, defining who he will be in his own time and on his own terms. Go to Full Review Claudia Puig FilmWeek (LAist) 08/26/2019
Both edgy and sensitive... It doesn't go in the directions that you necessarily expect. Go to Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker 08/26/2019
Family tragedy, legal matters, and the World Cup all zip through the drama, which has a miniseries' worth of incidents that get dispatched in quick, merely informational scenes filmed with little style or imagination. Go to Full Review Sergio Huidobro EscribiendoCine 08/19/2024
6/10
Despite its stumbling narrative and sometimes shallow characters, Esto no es Berlín stands out for its ability to transport us to a specific time and place. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Manuel Betancourt Out Magazine 09/04/2020
This is not Berlin, much like its title suggests, is a potent love letter to a Mexico at a crossroads. Go to Full Review Dan Scully Cinema76 03/17/2020
[An] edgy, challenging coming of age story. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Sergio A @Sergio83 03/21/2025 It has interesting ideas and isn’t timid in its intentions; however, it fails to stand out. In short, it’s a easily forgettable film See more Jerod S @jeroduptown 01/21/2025 Soccer is "killing them" so they go do drugs and make weird videos to fight culture. See more слободан е @RT88791636 12/01/2020 Deals with interesting topics of Mexico City underground scene and emancipation of its subcultures. See more 10/06/2020 A fast paced portrait of the underground culture in Mexico. Absorbent and wonderful. See more 01/09/2020 ¨Breaking the Law by Judas Priest starts playing in the background.¨ Although that the movie has a slight problem of rhythm, This is not Berlin is part of that select group of Mexican cinema that proposes fresh things. Maybe not as innovative, but new after all. With good performances, great technical aspects and a soundtrack worthy of a pretty cool oldie playlist, Hari Sama gives us a pretty beautiful movie that despite being located in the Mexico of the 80's, a big part of the audience will see themselves reflected int the screen in some way or another. Regardless of which generation you belong to. See more 10/20/2019 Película autobiográfica de su director Hari (Carlos) Sama que narra como fue su adolescencia en los 80s y su acercamiento al mundo rebelde del punk, las drogas y la protesta. Nada muy interesante pero bien hecha y con un muy buen protagónico de Xabiani Ponce de León. See more Read all reviews
Esto no es Berlín

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Hari Sama

Director

Xabiani Ponce de León

Carlos

José Antonio Toledano

Gera

Mauro Sanchez Navarro

Nico

Klaudia Garcia

Maud

Ximena Romo

Rita

More Like This

View All
The Cuban 74% 58% The Cuban Watchlist TRAILER for The Cuban Divines 84% 74% Divines Watchlist TRAILER for Divines Sublime 83% 77% Sublime Watchlist TRAILER for Sublime La familia 91% 55% La familia Watchlist The Demons 86% 59% The Demons Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Esto no es Berlín

Esto no es Berlín (2019) Esto no es Berlín (2019) Esto no es Berlín (2019) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1986 Mexico City, a 17-year-old boy doesn't fit in anywhere, not in his family nor with the friends he has chosen in school. But everything changes when he is invited to a mythical nightclub, where he discovers the underground nightlife scene.
Director
Hari Sama
Screenwriter
Rodrigo Ordoñez, Hari Sama, Max Zunino
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Production Co
Catatonia Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 23, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 5, 2019
Runtime
1h 55m
Most Popular at Home Now