Ulrike Ottinger’s 1979 film “Ticket of No Return” is a manifesto about drinking alone in Berlin as a woman

A woman out in public alone seems to provoke uninvited speculation. Why is she alone? What is she doing? Do you think she is single? Would she like company? If you then put a drink in that woman’s hand and dress her in a killer outfit, societal curiosity only increases. This is the premise of German New Wave Ulrike Ottinger’s 1979 film Ticket of No Return (Bildnis einer Trinkerin), in which the main character, played by Tabea Blumenschein but only referred to only as “She”, buys a one-way ticket to West Berlin to pursue her life’s desire: to live a drunken life. 

No sooner does “She” land at Berlin’s Brutalist Tegel airport from France, do we meet the chorus of commentators that follow her throughout the film, aptly named: “Social Question”, “Accurate Statistics” and “Common Sense”. The trio of women comment on the heroine’s drinking habits according to their names—one poses a question about the drinking, while the next rattles off statistics and the last relates the information to practical wisdom. While everything from the risk of alcoholism for women over the age of 40, to the correlation between excess drinking and lack of a relationship, as well as what constitutes binge drinking is discussed, none of these facts seem to phase the protagonist as she makes her way through different venues wearing an assortment of statement hats, colour-blocked outfits, long gloves and dramatic eyeliner.

Beyond touching on the social implications of being an unaccompanied woman out on the town, Ticket of No Return delves into the mythology around drinking to sell alcohol. It looks at the promise of abstract concepts like harmony, love, security, success, superiority and exclusiveness that alcohol brands imply in their messaging, but are incapable of delivering on. “Never forget that the exotic is far, but your drink is near,” “Common Sense” rattles off in a surrealistic meeting about marketing a new alcoholic beverage.

In the last quarter of the film, “She” finally reaches intoxication, getting kicked off of a boat for breaking glasses and stumbling through a few bars, before ending up passed out in the subway as the people of the city start to begin their morning commutes. Unfortunately, a familiar Berlin tale.

Ulrike Ottinger was awarded the Berlinale Camara award at the 70th Berlin Film Festival.