Lucy ist jetzt Gangster
Germany 2022

Opening 2 Mar 2023

Directed by: Till Endemann
Writing credits: Andreas Cordes, Till Endemann
Principal actors: Franziska Wulf, Kostja Ullmann, Esther Schweins, Bettina Lamprecht, Kailas Mahadevan

Ten-year-old Lucy enjoys working in her parents’ ice cream shop. She says, “For every problem there is the right ice cream.” She attends the Mother Theresa Grade School with her best friend Rima (Lisa Marie Trense). Naturally, something has to interrupt this perfect life, and here it’s the ice cream machine, which unexpectedly breaks down. Her parents cannot afford the 30,000 euros necessary to replace it. Lucy is determined to “find” some money. Perhaps robbing a bank would be the answer. In order to do this, she must learn how to be a gangster. Her godfather/Uncle Carlo (Kailas Mahadevan) encourages her; he comes across as a kind of gangster himself, quite opposite from her hard-working parents Nadine (Franziska Wulf) and Pietro (Kostja Ullmann). Badboy Tristan (Brooklyn Liebig), who chews gum and runs around on his skateboard, becomes her teacher, concentrating on bribery, theft, and blackmail for a start. They call this action “Operation Lucyfer.” Soon Lucy is also chewing gum and riding Tristan’s skateboard and feels confident to acquire the money. Rima is concerned with this development; her friend even looks quite different, no longer wearing the school uniform. Then, Lucy storms the bank.

The role of Lucy is shared by identical twins, Valerie and Violette Arnemann. They are excellent but seem more like eight, than the indicated ten years old, which is no problem. Even younger viewers will be entertained. There is fast action, a moral about right and wrong. There are colorful scenes, especially the ice cream shop; I can imagine all of us standing there in line. Lucy ist jetzt Gangster was the opening film at Hamburg’s 2022 MICHEL Kinder und Jugend Filmfest. (Becky Tan)