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The duo seem to come to a tacit agreement, whereby Robert can hitch a ride for as long as he wishes. Bruno stops at various run-down towns, attending to worn projectors and commiserating with old-timers of the German film industry. Robert keeps mostly out of the way, in fact Bruno and Robert hardly exchange a word. A vast length of time passes before they even introduce themselves, while it's days before Robert mentions that he's just come from Genoa, where he separated from his wife. He's a pediatrician, not that this skill has any relevance in their directionless journey. Occasionally Robert helps Bruno, such as when they perform an impromptu clown act for a rowdy class of schoolchildren (the kids are waiting for their annual movie). Otherwise they tend to gaze at the passing scenery, each lost in their own dreams (neither has a problem with silence or loneliness).
Strange events periodically intrude upon this balanced existence, providing interest but changing little. One of these interludes involves a man (Marquad Bohm) who's wife committed suicide by driving, at high speed, into a tree. The wreck lies nearby while this man relates the entire tragic tale to Robert, waking Bruno in the process. Apparently his wife grew so bored of staying in a particular guest-house that she threatened to carry out such as act; of course the police scoffed at such a domestic tiff and the rest is history. In the morning the car is dragged away and the heart-broken man disappears, presumably to throw himself into one of the nearby grain hoppers. This event energises Robert into visiting his estranged father (Rudolf Schündler) while Bruno ends up with a porn cinema cashier (Lisa Kreuzer).
Kings of the Road is a very special film, one which must be experienced rather than viscerally enjoyed. The aura surrounding Bruno and Robert, two men who are more temporary companions than friends, envelops the entire picture such that nothing ever needs to be explained. People are simply the way they are and act according to their nature, which means that the relationship between Robert and his father is both emotionally opaque and crystal-clear. Wenders utilises silence, the surrounding landscape and insignificant details to suggest depth to each character whilst never giving out explicit facts. The central performances are pretty good, appearing life-like and convincing, although it's difficult to decide when the dialogue is so sparse. The black & white cinematography is excellent, combining the space of wide-screen with a subtle, expertly applied palate of shades of grey.
What's really interesting about Kings of the Road is it's commentary on the decline of the German film industry, and in a wider sense the forgotten border lands between East and West Germany. Cultural domination by the States mortally wounded the grass-roots industry (such as small, local cinemas); as one old man states, he had to petition the State before he could even run his own establishment. Perhaps the movie is a touch self-indulgent but it's clear that Wenders feels deeply for this particular subject. The cumulative effect is of images which linger, to be mulled over at a later time, and an abiding sense of leisure.
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