Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?

dionysus67

This early anticipation of Dogma camerawork and aesthetic provides a chillingly banal portrayal of the irrevocable mechanics of workplace alienation. The latter is not only conveyed via noise and repetition; it is also encapsulated in the conformists' ridicule of the 'beast' (an excellent Raab). Ungererer is great as the beautiful yet mildly condenscending wife, typical of the everyday frustrations that lead to amok.

Ethan

This is a very meticulously made film from the great Fassbinder that perfectly documents the redundancy of life and how easily it is for someone to snap when they are just placed in a box. Would make a nice double bill with Jeanne Dielman.

FilmEdie

It struck me that, despite the title, and despite Kurt Raab being in most, if not every, scene, it wasn't till the end that I realized that I'd barely noticed him. Well played, RWF... Nice set up with that joke at the start, the eagle bit, and the visceral hand-held photography. Record store scene is a favourite. 3.75

Samuel T.

"I saw an eagle in a zoo locked up in a cage. It is sad and doesn't move. But when it is free, it soars into the sky and circles there, this great black bird." A dark circling vortex surely, though the vulture is a beast much greater than the man. Forgot this was shot on strictly hand-held, adding to the dreadful monotonous pressurized air already ripe with aberration. Also, Hermann, Schygulla, Caven, '70, CAW!

In An Expression Of The Inexpressible

We know it's coming and we're searching for the clues in the banal everyday life of Raab. There aren't many - we've been all there, nothing special. But there is this thin line ...

Dignan

Bourgeois life is an existential wasteland. The determinist philosophy of the middle-class, whether conscious or unconscious, leads to an abandonment of personal responsibility and ignores the individual's longing for freedom and meaning. There are choices. For Herr R., the possibility of changing his life, a viable option, is too overwhelming so he resorts to misusing a candle-holder and window frame.

vincentbergerond@gmail.com

The first Fassbinder movie I saw. It does a better job than most new film makers when approaching daily life problems with a near documentary style. The end is shocking and violent. A few directors are able to express this much rage and intensity in only one short moment. Stay in your mind, even if the film itself is an exercise in patience, even for today's viewers.

mubianer

3.5. I don't know why Mubi has listed it as drama and comedy, but the record store scene was funny. I enjoy Fassbinder's later films more as his style wasn't fully formed yet by this time (but his themes were). A week later: It has grown on me, I have thought more about it than recent films I watched I gave four or five stars.