Karambolage

Art history student Judit (Marie Colbin) stumbles into the bar where Lilo (Renée Felden) works. The seasoned barmaid and the student with bad luck with men hook up over a bottle of champagne on the customer's bill. Judit talks about Max (Helfried Edlinger), the married journalist and his elite circle of scene friends, about the rocker Ernstl (Gerhard Rühmkorf), with whom she learnt to play billiards and who suddenly found himself with a knife, and about the antiques dealer (Florentin Groll), who prefers to stay with his rich wife. So playing billiards becomes Judit's new passion, but even after she becomes the first woman to win a major billiards tournament, the men's rounds in the pubs continue to be assaultive as a matter of course. The fact that she is not allowed to play everywhere as a woman is not a ‘trifle’ for her, because: ‘You play billiards with a cue and not with your cock’. 1983 was a long time ago, but the themes of Karambolage are still very topical: ‘I want to be recognised as myself!’ says Judit. ‘It's a bitter road,’ says the all-knowing Lilo. (Julia Pühringer)

In the presence of Kitty Kino

Photo: Austrian Film Museum