The 2022 Netflix film Buba serves as the prequel to the fan favourite Netflix series How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast). Our main character in this film belongs to Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann’s coming-of-age dark comedy and expands on his origins, struggles, inhibitions and goals in life. Think of this film the way Better Call Saul is linked to the legendary Breaking Bad.
Directed by How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’s Arne Feldhusen, this dark comedy is written by Sebastian Colley and Isaiah Michalski. Bjarne Mädel plays the titular character once again in this film along with Georg Friedrich as Dante and Anita Vulesica as Jule. The other cast members include Soma Pysall, Maren Kroymann, Michael Schertenleib, Michael Ostrowski and Jasmin Shakeri. The film has a runtime of 1 hour 40 minutes, approximately.
– Netflix’s Buba Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Buba: Get to Know the Crime Scene Cleaner
Taking place before the events of How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), in this film we don’t see Jakob Otto, who we know by the name Buba, start off as a man in the drugs industry. We meet him as the eccentric young man fooling around and trying to make it work for him with the Albanians and Jule, this one-time flame who is back. Our titular character is, of course, not alone we get to meet this weirder half, his brother Dante.
As Buba gets on with his life, a terrible accident soon leaves him crestfallen as he is overwhelmed by his parent’s death and his brother having an eventual limp. He soon finds a connection in the grand scheme of the Universe that proves that if he does well, others do bad (even Leonardo DiCaprio included!) and vice versa.
Along with his brother Dante, Buba creates a system of living that involves drugs, bloodshed, raunchy tattoos and some outrageous experiences that keep the karmic balance in the environment to ensure the safety of whatever family and love he has left. As he continues to master his system, he falls in love and the un-expectancy of situation throws him off guard.
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Buba is a film that offers a curious case of either being one enjoyable ride or being something with crass, violent comedic segments. Arne Feldhusen has taken inspiration from some epic black comedies, starting from Tarantino to Coen Brothers. But, have they completely manifested to make his film unique and different? The answer is still a debatable one.
Making the love angle the biggest antagonist in the film seems unnecessary and somehow reduces where the film stands with its tough and funny demeanour. Irrespective of the poor production design and the pacing being uneven, the film catches up with its slapstick comedy punches and dark humour.
It is melodramatic and it knows it and owns it which is what makes the comic elements in the film shoot straighter arrows at the audience than the romantic and gangster ones. It is clownish and strives to make an impact with the actors being fluent with their body language communication skills.
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Buba: Final Verdict
Overall, Buba is a fun watch, if you get it. The story stays true to the character we know from the Netflix series and, if you are someone who hasn’t watched the series is directly jumping on this movie, you might just miss a beat with what our protagonist is like. But, most importantly, you need to sit through this movie. It might be possible that the opening or the first half even will not be convincing enough to keep you hooked but, it is a ride that accelerates with time.
The film might not be groundbreaking, different or special but, it is sure funny enough to make you laugh. It could be vulgar language or physical comedy but, Buba will find a place in your heart and watchlist if you follow through with it.
You can watch the German film, Buba, now, streaming on Netflix.