Night on Earth

Five cities, five taxis. Jim Jarmusch’s episodic film features all kinds of individuals in cabs during the course of a single night. In New York Armin Mueller-Stahl lets his fare take the wheel. Helmut is the name of his character, a German immigrant, formerly a circus clown in the GDR, who can hardly speak English and can barely drive – in spite of the automatic gears. When he picks up YoYo, a black guy from Brooklyn, and his sister-in-law, the two passengers end up taking control. These fleeting encounters combine comedy and melancholy, also capturing the special atmosphere of each city through which we are steered.