Taxi Zum Klo

Decried as an X-rated abomination upon its original release in 1981, this fictionalised tale of writer, director and lead actor Frank Ripploh was based almost exclusively upon his own exploits, going so far as to pair him with a former lover, Bernd Broaderup, to document their break-up borne of Ripploh’s sexual compulsion. The literal translation, ‘Taxi to the Toilet’, relates to a scene in which Frank leaves a meter running and driver waiting while he dashes across pre-AIDS Berlin, scouring hook-up spots for further conquests. Explicit it most certainly is, not simply in terms of actual sex on film (far from idealised as pale, pimpled bottoms rise and fall from focus), but in the depiction of one man’s everyday attempt at wringing comfort from his unambiguously ordinary existence.

Contains very strong sex and sex references