Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Flo belongs to the Berlin street gang Rox, led by his older brother Chris. When Chris becomes entangled in a dangerous conflict with a rival gang, Flo falls for Sofie, a wealthy ballet student from a very different world. Torn between first love and loyalty to his brother, Flo must make a decision that could determine whether Chris lives or dies.
Factoids & Trivia
- The film was shot in Berlin and the surrounding area between September 16 and November 10, 2008.
- Its alternate title was "Rox!", taken from the name of Flo and Chris' gang.
- "Gangs" was produced by SamFilm and distributed in Germany by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Germany. It opened in German theaters on October 1, 2009.
- The production received support from several German film funds, including FFF Bayern, the German Federal Film Fund, the German Federal Film Board, and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
- The film was promoted as a modern urban variation on the "West Side Story" formula, combining gang rivalry, romance, and the conflict between different social backgrounds.
- The Ochsenknecht brothers performed the film's fight scenes themselves. In an interview, they said they began training about three weeks before filming, with the action sequences rehearsed like choreography.
- The Berlin band Blind contributed the title song "Half a Dream Away."