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Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?
7.7
/10
3,333 Ratings

WHY DOES HERR R. RUN AMOK?

Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?

Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Fengler
West Germany, 1970
Drama

Synopsis

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.

Synopsis

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.

Our take

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.