791 km: A Comedy Examining German Society in a Taxi

The comedy “791 km” takes place in a taxi, i.e. in a very small space – and it contains everything that is currently testing German society.

Martin Schwickert

December 13, 2023 – 3:20 p.m

A storm hits Germany and brings rail traffic to a standstill. There is a lot of activity at Munich Central Station. Actually, Joseph (Joachim Król) just wanted to stop here briefly to buy some provisions. When he returns, his taxi is full and the passengers are waving triple-digit vouchers.

With a hippie heart

In his film “791 km,” director Tobi Baumann traps five people in a very small space and sends them on a night-time journey from Munich to Hamburg. The characters bring with them their different life experiences, political opinions, personal conflicts and individual problems. The retired linguistics professor Marianne (Iris Berben) has retained her big hippie heart and doesn’t hold back with her green-alternative ideas. The stressed start-up entrepreneur Tiana (Nilam Farooq) broke up with her boyfriend Philipp (Ben Münchow) in the queue at the information desk. The over-relaxed part-time physiotherapist shows too little initiative in dealing with the crisis. Sitting between the two in the back seat is Susi (Lena Urzendowsky), who suffers from mental impairment. And finally there is Joseph behind the wheel, who used to run a toy store on Stachus and has been making a living as a taxi driver since the bankruptcy.

It doesn’t take five minutes before the different ideas about life clash: When it comes to sensitive topics such as fuel prices, climate change or cancel culture, Joseph provokes with politically incorrect statements that, if you listen carefully, show a thoughtful depth. And that’s exactly what this film is about: listening carefully, perceiving and understanding other people without having to share their positions.

At first glance, Baumann (“Faking Hitler”) and his screenwriter Gernot Gricksch (“Life Is Not for Cowards”) fill the interior of the car with a consortium of stereotypes in order to then expand them one by one into more complex characters. Ultimately, the film sees itself as a statement against social polarization, in which positions and résumés only stand next to each other without communicating with each other. “Get out of the bubble. Get in the taxi.”: That could be the motto of the film, which gradually welds its different characters together to form a shared surrogate family.

Glimmendes Charisma

“791 km” certainly exceeds its goal on the fast track to a collective happy ending. Even in dramatic climaxes, the fingerprints of the plot designers are clearly visible. Nevertheless, the affair comes to life thanks to the well-coordinated ensemble. The character of Susi, whose childlike directness all too obviously acts as a group dynamic catalyst, gains an unexpected depth through the warm-hearted performance by Lena Urzendowsky (“We Children from Bahnhof Zoo”). And the wonderful Joachim Król, who has developed his own, gently glowing charisma in his old age, confidently tones down some of the blatant overcontrol in the script with adept understatement.

791km. Germany 2023. Director: Tobi Baumann. With Iris Berben, Joachim Król, Nilam Farooq. 103 minutes. From 12, start: December 14th.

2023-12-13 14:59:14
#cinema #Iris #Berben #Joachim #Król #bubble #taxi