Tobby

This semi-documentary film, filled with improvised music and unconventional camerawork, follows jazz musician Toby Fichelscher as he drifts through war-torn Berlin with its smoky bars, cycling from gig to gig.

Tobby turns down the tempting offer to pursue a career as a commercial pop singer in order to preserve his artistic freedom. He’d rather jam with other jazz musicians, meet attractive concertgoers, relax at the Wannsee, or spend time with his children at home, where he lives with his ex-wife in a sort of shared living arrangement.

“It’s amazing how fresh this still feels today: the promise of a life open to all possibilities, of free play. No lock on the bike, no calendar, no plans beyond the day itself.” (Christoph Hochhäusler)

• West Germany 1961, Director: Hansjürgen Pohland, DCP, German original version, 82 min