Herr R. a middle-class German, leads a life of boredom and desperation. Between the blandness of his job and the frustration of his family life, Herr R. can find no peace. When the tensions of his excruciatingly ordinary existence build to intolerable levels, he calmly responds in brutal fashion.

Framing the daily life of a common family in mocking, deliberately long takes, this is perhaps R.W. Fassbinder’s most biting film, co-directed by Michael Fenler. Featuring superb improvisational acting, the film condemns the triviality of West German affluence before ending with frenzied violence.