Taxi Zum Klo
1980
Berlin, Germany
Frank Ripploh
Gay Indie Rom Com
What’s it all about: Frank Ripploh takes us cruising to the bars, parks and bathhouses of West Berlin. But can the love he finds at the toilet match the love he has for the toilet itself?
First Encounter: Netflix, when Netflix was amazing
Prostitute Index: high
Death By: settling down and/or STIs
Relics: chaps for everyday wear, Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Hoops: sex vs. love as a gay protagonist’s chief confilct (but done right!)
Heartthrob: Hans-Gerd Mehrtens, Bernd Broaderup
Pass/Fails the Test of Time: Queen’s Ball / the fun of amateur drag
LoFi Magic: small talk in the sex clinic waiting room, bribery at a teacher-parent conference
Words to live by: “I radically separate my job from my private life and pleasures.”
Makes me want to: dig deeper into the gay indie films of the era (thank you, Anus Films!)
Candotti Take: “When porn flirts with arts” / “Those men are so sexual in this movie. Anglo people going Latin in terms of sexuality in the eyes”
Worth a watch/rewatch: Yes
#frankripploh #taxizumklo #indiefilm #gaycinema #gayfilmmaker #LGBTQcinema #cultclassic #westberlin #berlin80s #leather #chaps #tomoffinland #cruising #hansgerdmehrtens #hansgerdmertens #berndbroaderup #criterion #criterioncollection #husbandotti #filmfest #gaysfordays #unseenhorses