6th Okinawa International Movie Festival

The German comedy Fack Ju Goethe screened in the Comedy section of the Okinawa International Movie Fest and both tickled and touched audiences.
 

This sweet and screwball comedy is centered on Zeki Muller (Elyas M’Barek), a roughneck ex-con who’s just gotten out of prison. His girlfriend buried the huge cash haul from a bank heist but a nearby school has built a gym over the site. Thus the foul-mouthed, sex and drugs-obsessed street hoodlum must get a job at the institution and tunnel at night to retrieve the loot. Though he goes in for a janitor position Zeki ends up as a substitute teacher, and the swarthy macho man soon catches the attention of the female instructors.
 

Naturally the sub Zeki gets the worse class of trouble-making losers, and he can relate to their nihilistic world view. He also finds himself attracted to an awkward, bumbling but hot full-timer, though his abrasiveness pushes her away at first.

The title refers to some misspellings in graffiti undertaken by the students as an art project.

Laced with slapstick humor, pop culture references, and digs at the education system, the film also portrays an adult who takes an interest in kids schools ignore. Zeki identifies with the lowest kids in the high school, and after some rough times, is able to motivate them to avoid a life of crime and degradation. Both comedic and serious elements reached Okinawan audiences, who received the film warmly.