Kings of the Road

Wim Wenders : 1976
Im Lauf der Zeit

Bruno Winter is a travelling projection-equipment mechanic working in West Germany along the East German border, visiting worn-out theatres. He meets the depressed Robert Lander, who has just been through a break-up with his wife, after he drives his car into a river in a half-hearted suicide attempt. Bruno allows Robert to ride with him while his clothes dry. While out on the road, Bruno and Robert encounter several people in various states of despair, including a man whose wife has committed suicide by driving her car into a tree. Robert also drops in on his elderly father to berate him for disrespecting Robert's mother. After Bruno and Robert have a minor brawl after a conversation about Robert and his wife, Robert finally leaves Bruno, though Bruno later spots him riding on a train. Bruno continues his visits to theatres, including one that no longer screens films because the owner regards modern films as exploitative. Wim Wenders' third part of his Road Movie trilogy had its international premiere in competition at Festival de Cannes 1976.