Trafic
A genial inventor's camper prototype becomes the vehicle for Jacques Tati's gently absurd satire of traffic, technology, and modern manners.
Overview
A whimsical road trip filled with mishaps and personal growth awaits as a modern inventor and a spoiled PR exec navigate the chaos of travel.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- deadpan
- gentle
- lazy sunday
- classic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire Tati's inventive visual comedy, humane absurdity, and calm social observation, while some find the episodic pacing languid and less tightly controlled than PlayTime.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Flat tires, empty fuel tanks, accidents, police encounters, garage stops, and traffic jams progressively shape the journey.
The prototype camper, motor show, motorists, traffic systems, and automotive industry dominate both the plot and its social observations.
Monsieur Hulot responds to repeated logistical failures with good nature and retains his composure amid traffic and institutional confusion.
The film observes distracted workers, status-conscious marketing, motorists, police, and technological dependence with affectionate comic distance.
Films like Trafic, and why
PlayTime
shares physical comedy, observational social satire, modernist environments, and a largely laconic central character
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
shares gentle visual gag construction, deadpan absurdity, and affectionate critique of modern life
The Triplets of Belleville
shares road movie structure, comic mishaps, eccentric characters, and warm humanism
Movie Details
- Director
- Jacques Tati
- Release Date
- 1971-04-16
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (226)
Cast
- Jacques Tati
- Tony Knepper
- Maria Kimberly
- Marcel Fraval
- Honoré Bostel
- François Maisongrosse
- Marco Zuanelli
- Franco Ressel
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Trafic about?
- A genial inventor's camper prototype becomes the vehicle for Jacques Tati's gently absurd satire of traffic, technology, and modern manners.
- What is Trafic like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Trafic as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Trafic violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Trafic as mild.
- What did critics think of Trafic?
- Critics broadly admire Tati's inventive visual comedy, humane absurdity, and calm social observation, while some find the episodic pacing languid and less tightly controlled than PlayTime.
- Which films are like Trafic?
- Films with a similar feel include PlayTime, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, and The Triplets of Belleville.
- How long is Trafic?
- Trafic runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Trafic?
- In United States, Trafic streams on Criterion Channel.
