Superstau (1991)

Germany shortly after reunification: the first major wave of summer-holiday travel is about to begin, and the highways are hopelessly overcrowded. During a traffic jam on a stretch of autobahn in Bavaria, a variety of characters from all over Germany—portrayed in highly exaggerated, clichéd fashion—cross paths. Ludwig, a perpetually grumbling, self-righteous Bavarian, is travelling in a luxurious Hymer motorhome, equipped with every little convenience, with his patient wife Maria and their daughter Steffi. He films the supposed traffic hooligans’ offenses as “evidence.” His only concerns are his bowel movements and the risk of getting caught in a traffic jam, though he feels his motorhome has prepared him for anything. The hot-tempered coal miner Hermann, from Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr region, is on his way to Corsica in an Audi 100 C2 with his wife Ilse and their son Boris. His biggest problem is the pressure of time and his constant fear of missing the ferry to Corsica. Fritzie Pippig, a hairdresser from East Germany, has to travel in a Trabant with his wife Viola and her parents, since their VW Golf broke down back home. They are swindled by Westermann, a slick businessman in a Porsche 911 convertible, who first sells them third-party liability insurance and then talks them out of a crate of Club-Cola, intending to sell the bottles later at an exorbitant price. After being stuck for hours, the motorists begin making themselves comfortable around their vehicles. The two CB radio operators, “Commander” (Ford Granada) and “Mustang” (Jeep), appoint themselves keepers of order, assign everyone else plots of land, and organize trips into the woods to relieve themselves. They find support from a West Berlin Alpine Club, travelling by coach to Austria. Other individual stories in the jam include a confused motorist from Franconia wandering around in search of his “little yellow car,” and two tipsy rockers from Hamburg, Hinnerk and Clars, who unsuccessfully try to find a crate of beer. Even “Commander” is affected by the supply shortage on the autobahn, as he is a chain-smoker constantly searching for cigarettes. Other travellers barbecue, play badminton among the stranded cars, or pass the time with a quick tryst in a curtained-off vehicle. But the heat, hunger, thirst, and pressure of time gradually cause anger and despair among the travellers. Some drivers drink from their windscreen-washer reservoirs, and Hermann loses his temper because he cannot find a telephone to contact the ferry to Corsica. In the evening, a television is discovered in Ludwig’s motorhome, which is soon surrounded by dozens of travellers. At first, Ludwig calms the overheated mood by setting up the television where everyone can see it; a football match is being broadcast live. More and more travellers gather in front of the motorhome to watch, and the mood turns sour when the crowd sees Ludwig’s wife serve him a glass of beer. The hungry, thirsty mob storms Ludwig’s motorhome and plunders all his supplies. Meanwhile, Hermann’s wife Ilse flirts with Bruno, the Volvo driver. During their conversation, she suddenly realizes that, because of a misunderstanding, she and Hermann set off for Genoa a day too early, so they have not yet missed their ferry. The Pippig family eventually abandon their trip to Italy by removing part of the guardrail and crossing the grassy median to the opposite carriageway, deciding they would rather vacation at Lake Balaton after all. Shortly afterwards, the traffic jam finally clears and the journey south can continue. Three weeks later, the protagonists meet again when they are once more stuck in a traffic jam at the same spot on their way back.