Franz von Strolchen

A once successful actor (Fritz Fenne) has quit his job and now works at a car rental agency. One afternoon, a sleek electric car addresses him. The self-driving vehicle presents itself as a thinker, a scientist, and even a misunderstood entertainer. What began as a car wash turns into a surreal and deeply philosophical dialogue between man and machine—about identity, dignity, and the possibility of quitting, about being human and the looming fear of being replaced. As the actor recounts the abrupt end of his career, the car challenges him with the question: Can a machine give up too?

Christian Winkler (1981, Graz), aka Franz von Strolchen, is an author and director. He frequently deals with the boundaries between reality and fiction and the depiction of social dynamics in which the seemingly ordinary can turn into the astonishing. His works have been shown at institutions such as Thalia Theater, Hamburg; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Kampnagel, Hamburg; Schaubühne, Berlin; Luzerner Theater; and MOT Festival, Skopje. Winkler has received the Retzhofer Drama Prize and the Ö1 Hörspielpreis der Kritik, among others. He lives in Hamburg.