Bandits

As part of a rehabilitation program, four inmates come together to form a band in a women’s prison. From marriage scams and robbery to murder and manslaughter, Angel, Luna, Marie and Emma have quite the criminal records. When they’re scheduled to perform at a police ball, the Bandits seize their chance to escape. Along the way, they’re discovered by a music producer and become overnight stars. But detectives Schwarz and Ludwig are never far behind. Their final concert awaits at the port of Hamburg, along with the cruise ship they hope will carry them to freedom… 

Punctuated by musical sequences that blend dreamscapes, magical realism and the soft rock aesthetics of 1990s MTV, Katja von Garnier’s Bandits oscillates between musical, road movie, and action drama. After her 1993 debut Making Up! established her as one of German cinema’s rising hopes, Bandits was nearly brought down by scathing reviews from some of the country’s most widely read (male) critics. Looking back, those reviews seem like a missed opportunity to champion the uncompromising filmmaking of von Garnier and her cast, who also contributed to the film’s hugely successful soundtrack. 

Streaming as part of “Spotlight on Genre”, a series revisiting post-war genre films made in Germany. From the postwar era to the present, this collection spans a wonderfully unruly range of genres: cult horror, dystopian science fiction, revisionist Westerns, dark fairy tales, psychological thrillers, rock musicals, and bittersweet social comedies. Whether embracing genre conventions or gleefully dismantling them, these films show how genre filmmaking can explore social anxieties, challenge expectations, and push cinematic boundaries. Discover the unexpected side of German cinema. 

Image © Constantin Film