Overview
In the gritty streets of Berlin, survival is a daily battle for four boys caught in a cycle of violence and indifference.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- tense
- restless
- socially conscious movie night
- german cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s forceful location photography, committed young performances, and ensemble handling of Berlin’s marginalized youth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lukas, Gino, Julius, and Sanchez navigate extortion, gang rules, xenophobia, and institutional indifference while trying to survive their Berlin district.
The film is shot relentlessly on location, emphasizing the district’s concrete architecture and harsh sunlight as a central presence.
The boys’ lives are shaped by xenophobia, poverty, gang laws, school insecurity, and broader social indifference.
The boys steal computers from their school while facing an uphill struggle against pressures they cannot easily escape.
Films like Sun and Concrete, and why
La Haine
shared coming-of-age drama, urban marginalization, youthful rebellion, and grounded social realism
Kids
shared teenage alienation, neighborhood violence, class tension, and raw urban realism
City of God
shared adolescent friendship, crime-driven pressure, and empathetic social drama
Fish Tank
shared working-class youth, street-level crime, and naturalistic ensemble performances
Movie Details
- Director
- David Wnendt
- Release Date
- 2023-03-02
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (141)
Cast
- Levy Rico Arcos
- Rafael Luis Klein-Hessling
- Vincent Wiemer
- Aaron Maldonado-Morales
- Nicole Johannhanwahr
- Roland Wolf
- Franziska Wulf
- Jörg Rühl
- Marzia Tedeschi
- David Ruland
Common questions
- What is Sun and Concrete about?
- Four Berlin teenagers turn to school-computer theft as poverty, prejudice, and neighborhood violence close in around them.
- What is Sun and Concrete like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sun and Concrete as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Sun and Concrete violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sun and Concrete as brutal.
- What did critics think of Sun and Concrete?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s forceful location photography, committed young performances, and ensemble handling of Berlin’s marginalized youth.
- Which films are like Sun and Concrete?
- Films with a similar feel include La Haine, Kids, City of God, and Fish Tank.
- How long is Sun and Concrete?
- Sun and Concrete runs 119 minutes.
