Du bist nicht allein - Die Roy Black Story

Christoph Waltz acting the part of Roy Black, the tragic German Schlager singer: A young man dreaming of conquering the world, Gerhard Höllerich is persuaded by a producer to sing schmaltz – and becomes a celebrated pop star from one day to the next. Roy Black, as he is now called, soon gets involved in an intricate web of business interests, opportunism, dependencies and family crises; alcohol seems to be the only safe haven.
Director Peter Keglevic’s expressive drama shows the rise and fall of a German idol by casting long shadows over the protagonist, rather than clothing him in the delusive bright colours of show business. His touching “Musikstudio B” appearance with a little blond girl seems so gloomy as if the spotlights were off. In yet another performance, the audience witnesses the protagonist’s frustration on stage shortly before he starts singing. It is Christoph Waltz, more than anyone else, who leaves an imprint on this TV film. Waltz is indeed able to combine all the moods of an ill-treated pop star in one single character, heralding his creative talent long before Tarantino: by shedding deeply ambivalent light even on a German Schlager star.