Westernhagen 'Die Alphatier Trilogie' by Matt Lambert

Matt Lambert's trilogy of films for German rock legend Westernhagen follows the progress of 'Alphatier' (Alpha Dog) on his relentless rise, eventually overcoming the father who turned him into a beast.  

This Oedipal tale is an evolution of Lambert's past three years of making films following the youth of Berlin, and the first time he's had the chance to make a film that, due to the huge popularity of Westernhagen, could resonate with a mainstream German audience. 

As the East of the city is usually favored by younger Berlin-based filmmakers, Matt set this film in West Berlin in an attempt to tell a story that plays with the deep tensions that exists in a city where up to three generations have experienced very different worlds and social moralities. 

Shooting over three days in Schöneberg, Friedenau and Potsdam Lambert created an 18-minute long epic and also worked with his second unit to create seven other videos, that function as smaller stories parallel to the main narrative. He also combined seasoned actors with ones who've never been on screen before, workshopping their roles with the actors over a span of a few weeks.