Two Wartburgs, zero driving skills, one chaotic marriage.
In the GDR, purchasing a car was such a difficult process that many families applied for one years in advance. For example, Gisela secretly orders a Wartburg model after the birth of her first child. By the time the vehicle is ready, her daughter is a teenager, and Gisela's husband, who actually prefers walking, has already bought a second Wartburg from a friend in financial trouble. As a result, the couple decides to sign up for driving school together.
Acting
Jörg Gudzuhn's deadpan exasperation carries every scene.
Production
Authentic Wartburg cars as co-stars.
Director
Bernhard Stephan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Wartburg 353 had a 10+ year waiting list in East Germany, making the film's premise painfully realistic satire.
Director Bernhard Stephan made this for DEFA, the state-owned studio, barely one year before the Berlin Wall fell.
DE
