791 km (2023)

The autumn storm Herwarth brings rail traffic in Germany to a standstill. After all train services are canceled, hundreds of travelers are stranded at Munich Central Station. Long lines form at the Deutsche Bahn counters, where taxi vouchers are being handed out to passengers as an alternative. Among those affected are the mismatched couple Tiana and Philipp. Tiana is a young startup founder, while her boyfriend Philipp works as a physiotherapist. The disruption is especially bitter for Tiana: she absolutely has to get to her hometown of Hamburg for an important business meeting, while Philipp, with his laid-back outlook on life, would rather stay another night in Munich. Tiana then ends their relationship, catching her usually very relaxed boyfriend off guard. As they look for a way to travel, they meet Marianne, a former professor of linguistics and sociology who also has an important appointment in Hamburg. Known for her rebellious nature, Marianne was politically active in the past and still holds to her convictions, even though she no longer has much in common with the new, “conventional” generation of environmentalists. She invites Tiana and Philipp to share a taxi that has no driver yet but appears to be available; she has already stowed her luggage in its trunk. Inside the taxi, they also find another passenger: Susi, who seems shy and reserved and hides her face beneath a hoodie. When the taxi’s owner, Joseph, returns from shopping and finds the group in his vehicle, he initially tells the uninvited passengers to get out. But when they point to their vouchers, each worth 350 euros, he agrees to make the trip. During the drive, the passengers’ different personalities and outlooks on life clash: Joseph is dissatisfied and angry about his circumstances; Marianne is a well-traveled old hippie; Tiana is an ambitious career woman; and Philipp is her exact opposite. Susi, initially silent, turns out to be under legal guardianship. At the same time, however, she has an almost perfect memory and, because of her particular nature, speaks truths that others fail to see from their own perspectives. As the journey progresses, the characters’ secrets and deeper motives come to light: Tiana is secretly pregnant, but doubts whether Philipp can be a good father and partner. He reacts with great joy to the news, blurted out by Susi, but at first cannot ease Tiana’s doubts. Marianne is in the early stages of dementia and, after falling out with her sister, is afraid of being left on her own. Susi admits that she does not have a taxi voucher at all and fears consequences from her “guardian” because of her impulsive decision to get in. Joseph, who has no driver’s license after a cycling accident but continues working as a taxi driver to support himself and is therefore afraid of the police, wants to attend the funeral of his son Jan in Bad Bramstedt. Their timely arrival in Hamburg initially seems assured, until the taxi gets caught in a traffic jam. When Philipp persuades a group of drivers waiting in their cars to move a motorway sign blocking the road, Tiana realizes she was wrong and gives their relationship a second chance. Once they arrive in Hamburg, she abruptly decides not to go to her business meeting. Instead, she accompanies Joseph, Philipp, Marianne, and Susi to Jan’s funeral. Joseph finds comfort in his passengers’ sympathy and sets off for home with Susi that same day. On the motorway, they promise one another to stay in touch. Meanwhile, Marianne has resolved to contact her sister and, after the funeral, lets her sister pick her up.