Taxi zum Klo is a 1981 film written by, directed by, and starring Frank Ripploh

Frank Ripploh

Frank Ripploh was a German actor, film director, and author. He is best remembered for his semi-autobiographical 1981 movie Taxi zum Klo. The film, produced on a shoestring budget of 100,000 DM, explored the day-to-day life of a Berlin schoolteacher who also led a very active gay sex life...

. The story of a schoolteacher and the contrasts between his public and private lives, the film documents gay culture in West Berlin

West Berlin

West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...

 in the period in which it was made. Ripploh has stated that much of the film was autobiographical. The name literally means Taxi to the Toilet (or "Taxi to the John", etc.)

Cast

• Frank Ripploh as Frank Ripploh
• Bernd Broaderup as Bernd
• Orpha Termin
• Peter Fahrni as Gas station attendant
• Dieter Godde
• Klaus Schnee
• Bernd Kroger
• Markus Voigtlander
• Irmgard Lademacher
• Gregor Becker
• Marguerite Dupont
• Eberhard Freudenthal
• Beate Springer
• Millie Büttner
• Gitta Lederer

Critical reception

• The Village Voice
  The Village Voice
  The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
  
  hailed it as 'the first masterpiece about the mainstream of male gay life'.