Overview: From writer/director Hark Bohm, co-founder of the ‘70s German New Wave collective Filmverlag der Autoren with Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, comes this landmark hit about juvenile delinquency and outsider friendship: 13-year-old Uwe – “a magnificent screen debut” (Critic.de) by Bohm’s adopted son Uwe Bohm – lives with his mother and abusive alcoholic father in a Hamburg housing project.

But when he discovers that the Asian classmate he’s been bullying – an equally powerful performance by the director’s other adopted son Dschingis Bowakow – has built a raft from scrap wood, they devise a plan to run away together and sail to the North Sea.

Marquard Bohm (BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE) co-stars in this “modern day Huckleberry Finn” (Prisma) that Germany’s ratings board tried to prevent young people from seeing, now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with over an hour of Special Features and a 40-page booklet featuring stills, news clippings and an essay by DER SAMURAI writer/director Till Kleinert.

Blu-ray Verdict: A high-rise housing estate in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg during the 1970s. This is where 14-year-old Uwe lives with his parents. His father drinks and repeatedly becomes violent toward both him and his mother. With his gang, Uwe breaks into slot machines—among other things—and terrorizes other children. One of their targets is an Asian boy named Dschingis.

This is a German youth drama from 1976 by Hark Bohm, part of the New Wave of Young Filmmakers movement of the 1970s. As such, the film possesses a distinctive narrative style — one that simply depicts the reality of youth life in the 1970s. This is portrayed realistically, without exaggerating anything or making it out to be bigger than it actually is.

The young actors deliver strong performances that feel very true to everyday life. The adult cast members also fit seamlessly into the overall picture. The locations realistically reflect the atmosphere of the 1970s. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and plan to seek out other movies within this “genre”.

Special Features for NORTH SEA IS DEATH SEA:
• Introduction By THE GOLDEN GLOVE Director Fatih Akin
• Working Class In Wilhelmsburg – Writer/Director Hark Bohm Remembers NORTH SEA IS DEATH SEA
• Growing Up On Film – Interview With Actor Dschingis Bowakow
• That’s Why I’m Here – Interview With Actress Herma Koehn
• The Death King Sails The Death Sea – Appreciation By NEKROMANTIK Director Jörg Buttgereit
• Trailer
• Booklet Designed By HauntLove Featuring An Essay By Till Kleinert, Director Of DER SAMURAI, And Rare Stills And Promotional Items
Feature Specs for NORTH SEA IS DEATH SEA:
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Runtime: 85 mins
• Audio: German 5.1, German Stereo
• Subtitles: English
• Region: A/B/C
Limited Edition Slipcase based on the original poster by Peter Sickert and Dieter Noss
Wrap artwork designed by Mirkow Gastow