Over the past few months, Rainer Werner Fassbinder ("Fox and His Friends") has been a director that I've really gravitated towards. Though his films are often quiet dramas about the everyday occurrences happening in the lives of everyday people living in West Germany, I've found that Fassbinder has a way of bringing forth truths about human nature and behavior that other people would rather leave unacknowledged. Every character in this movie, from the ones whom only have a few minutes of screen time to our protagonist Maria Braun (Hanna Schygulla, "The Merchant of Four Seasons"), is dynamic and complex; they feel as real and tactile as if they were standing before me in the flesh. They have moody moments; moments of shining tenderness and bitter hopelessness; moments where they're forced to compromise their morals and moments when they stand their ground.
Though I will admit the first thirty or so minutes of this film are rather predictable, after that, it's impossible to tell where Maria's life is headed. Her journey is one that paints a sad portrait of Germany immediately after the fall of the Third Reich (a world in which Fassbinder himself grew up). The world as they know it feels akin to purgatory; Germany is no longer in the hellish grips of war, but it is far from feeling heavenly.
I still have yet to see a Fassbinder film I've disliked. This film had all of his usual brilliant character observations, wonderfully complex writing, and darkly humorous moments, but it also provided an eye-opening commentary on a world and people lost to the sands of time. Fassbinder knows how to craft a world that feels balanced: there are scenes of sadness and happiness; scenes of tenderness and also those of coldness; but never once does any of the drama in this movie feel stretched or unrealistic. Fassbinder was truly a cinematic treasure, and if you've yet to check out any of his work, this is as a good place to start as any.
Though I will admit the first thirty or so minutes of this film are rather predictable, after that, it's impossible to tell where Maria's life is headed. Her journey is one that paints a sad portrait of Germany immediately after the fall of the Third Reich (a world in which Fassbinder himself grew up). The world as they know it feels akin to purgatory; Germany is no longer in the hellish grips of war, but it is far from feeling heavenly.
I still have yet to see a Fassbinder film I've disliked. This film had all of his usual brilliant character observations, wonderfully complex writing, and darkly humorous moments, but it also provided an eye-opening commentary on a world and people lost to the sands of time. Fassbinder knows how to craft a world that feels balanced: there are scenes of sadness and happiness; scenes of tenderness and also those of coldness; but never once does any of the drama in this movie feel stretched or unrealistic. Fassbinder was truly a cinematic treasure, and if you've yet to check out any of his work, this is as a good place to start as any.