Two con men, one badge, zero clue what they're doing — Austrian chaos ensues.
Thomas, a student drop-out, keeps his head above water with a life of petty crime. Passing himself off once again as a ticket inspector on a tram to extract money from fare-dodgers, he is confronted by Erich, a genuine inspector, or so it seems... However, Erich won his inspector's identity badge at cards. The two begin to meet regularly. Thomas doesn't realise until too late that he is to play a major role in Erich's long-planned coup. The well thought out plan succeeds. Unfortunately, however, Erich has failed to consider how he can convert his booty - a lorry load of valuable carpets - into hard cash. Their problems are just beginning...
Acting
Resetarits and Lust's toxic chemistry — you can't look away.
Writing
The heist works! The getaway doesn't. Perfect narrative irony.
Director
Nikolaus Leytner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Schwarzfahrer literally means 'fare-dodger' — the title itself is a wink at the audience about who's really conning whom.
Leytner's Vienna is deliberately unglamorous, rejecting the romantic Habsburg aesthetic for concrete tram stops and fluorescent lighting — the perfect visual joke for a film about stolen dignity.
DE
AT
