Frame and Preparation
Taxi zum Klo
Conceptual Frames and Background
- Gay liberation
- Sexual liberation
- Gay assimilations vs. gay radical politics
- Identity and subjectivity
- Ethics and the good life
- Postwar West German society
Introduction
This film, directed by Frank Ripploh, achieved cult status among its time as a sexually explicit dark comedy focused on gay culture and gay liberation in West Berlin.
This film is suited to a discussion comparing gay liberation in postwar West and East Berlin if paired with Coming Out (Carow, 1989).
Preparation
- Since the film is very sexually explicit and features unsimulated sex, students must be warned in advanced with a list of explicit scenes so that they can make the choice whether or not to watch them. Topics include: oral sex, analingus, anal sex, urination, public sex, and anal medical exams.
- Students will require a familiarity with the argot of gay communities, especially names for different ‘types’ of gay men, different kinds of sex, and the social spaces they frequent
- A brief historical overview of gay rights and the gay liberation movement in the 1970s and 1980s in West Germany is also helpful to elucidate the actions and opinions of the characters in the film. Topics include: the revision but not abolition of Paragraph 175, social stigma against homosexuality, discrimination in work and public spaces, queer spaces throughout the city
Text and Discussion
- What different types or theories of love and sex do each of the characters represent? Are sex and love different for these men?
- What are the main characters searching for as gay men? Are their quests complementary or contradictory?
- What issues do the characters identify as important in the gay community?
- What does it mean to be gay for the characters? How does one define oneself through one’s sexuality?
- What does it mean to lead a good life as a sexual minority? Do the characters know? How do they try to find out or invent ethical codes for themselves?
- What does happiness look like for the characters, and how do they square that with their sexuality?
- What is the ultimate message of the film concerning sexuality, identity, and happiness?
- Can sex be the basis for a fulfilled life?
- How does the film represent the pros and cons of two different directions of gay politics, assimilationist and radical?
- What can we learn about postwar German society from this film?
- How can we describe the gay social infrastructure throughout the city? Is it integrated into the rest of Berlin or is it isolated? How does it shape the way gay people interact with each other and understand themselves?