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Vagabonds - Noch lange nicht genug (Still not enough)!

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Jörg Schnitger writer, director, producer

PROJECT

Vagabonds - Noch lange nicht genug (Still not enough)!

2026 / Road Movie and tragic comedy

by Jörg Schnitger & Brigitte Drodtloff

The screenplay, developed with the support of FFA reference funding, has now been completed.

Kurzinhalt:

A 17-year-old girl and a 57-year-old woman hit the road—one fleeing deportation, the other a locked psychiatric ward. Their unlikely getaway driver is 75-year-old Otto, a fiercely reclusive loner who’d rather be left alone. Unfortunately for him, they have other plans.

All Otto wants—desperately—is to make it to Bucharest in time to see his daughter, whom he hasn’t seen in over 30 years. But the sheer force of these two women turns his carefully isolated world upside down—and pushes him far beyond his comfort zone.

Synopsis:

Otto (75) has made peace with his existence on the fringes of the city—and of society. He has little left to lose in his caravan, because he barely owns anything anymore. And the one thing he desperately wants to leave behind, he cannot escape: his memories. His aching leg is a constant reminder, day and night. He can barely walk without a crutch. At first glance, Otto resembles a big, gentle bear. But it’s best not to push him too far. Apart from the mailman and the campsite manager, where he has lived for years, Otto hardly sees anyone. He has withdrawn into a life of quiet isolation, letting the world pass him by. Until, one day, two women crash into his carefully sealed-off existence—and tear it wide open. Suddenly, Otto is back on the road, back in the chaos of life, and forced to confront everything he thought he had left behind.

Mia (17) has run away from the children’s home and is on the run from the authorities. This isn’t the first time she has sought refuge with Otto and his trailer. Somehow, she’s taken a real liking to him—perhaps because, like her, he’s an outsider. Once again, his trailer becomes her hiding place, and Otto’s nerves are put to the test.

When a letter from Romania arrives, Otto’s fragile peace is finally shattered. He knows he can no longer run from his past. He has to get to Bucharest—and he has to go now. There is no way he can take Mia with him. Apart from the risk of border checks, the last thing Otto needs is trouble with an underage girl in his motorhome. But Mia has other plans. With a clever ruse, she manages to sneak her way onto the journey—leaving Otto with no choice but to take her along.

Otto only realizes what has happened when a woman suddenly steps into the path of his motorhome. He slams on the brakes, narrowly preventing a disaster.

Christa (57) has escaped from a locked psychiatric ward—still wearing her pajamas and bathrobe and carrying herself like a countess. Beneath her aristocratic airs, however, is a seemingly fragile woman who desperately needs help. She claims her husband had her locked away unjustly—and she has no intention of going back. Otto has barely had time to process Mia before he finds himself with a second unwanted passenger on board. For a man who has spent years avoiding people, two fugitives in his motorhome might just be the universe’s idea of a sick joke.

Christa is relieved that Otto is driving as far away as possible. No one will think to look for her in Bucharest. Mia, too, is delighted to have some company—and another person on her side. Otto, however, is close to chewing through the steering wheel. With two fugitives in his motorhome, his carefully controlled journey to Bucharest is turning into a road trip from hell.

The journey quickly turns into an emotional rollercoaster of clashes, arguments, and unexpected moments of tenderness. The three of them could hardly be more incompatible. Mia is still firmly in teenage mode, while Christa occasionally behaves as though she really has lost her mind.

The trio finally reaches Bucharest—Otto’s destination and, unfortunately for him, the place where the past has been waiting patiently. Before the 1989 Revolution, Otto abandoned his lover behind the Iron Curtain, just as she was pregnant with his daughter. He has a perfectly convincing explanation for that. Times were different, after all. What he has no explanation for is what happened years later, when his daughter Ada came to Germany to find him—and Otto failed her all over again. Now Ada is heavily pregnant herself, expecting a child any day. And Otto has one last chance to face the daughter he walked away from. But as the moment approaches, his courage begins to desert him. After all, running away is something Otto has always been very good at.

Ironically, it is his two unwanted companions who finally make Otto realize that there is nowhere left to run. He has to face Ada—and the past he has spent decades avoiding. But fate nearly has the last laugh. Just as Otto finally finds the courage to face his daughter, disaster strikes. It is only thanks to Christa’s quick, life-saving intervention that Otto gets his second chance—and is able to reunite with Ada after all these years.

Otto gives the motorhome to Christa and Mia. After all, he doesn’t need to go anywhere anymore. For the first time in his life, he has arrived. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to sit still. Because Otto has finally discovered something dangerously addictive: life. And he has no intention of missing out on the next adventure. So the three of them hit the road again, heading off into the sunset—an unlikely trio, an old motorhome, and absolutely no idea what trouble is waiting around the next bend.