Has anyone else seen this extraordinary film? It's hard to find, but if anyone's into the Dogme 95 movement or Lars von Trier stuff, it's worth the watch. Warning, though: this post contains SPOILERS.
Directed by Michael Fengler (with Rainer Fassbinder credited as co-director, despite not having much to do with the film at all), this ninety-minute German film chronicles the utterly ordinary existence of Kurt Raab (played by the actor Kurt Raab). Filmed in voyeuristic documentary-style long takes, with scenes composed of improvised, uninterrupted monologues or dialogues, the film lacks any real plot or direction; it is simply a catalogue of days, each day featuring the same routines, experiences, banalities.
Of course, the title of the film warns its viewers that something will break through the monotony. Herr R. will run amok. But when?
The film's genius lies in precisely this, the excruciating slow burn, the build-up of crushing banalities leading to the act of extreme violence at the end. There's a lot to say about the possible answers to the title's question, but I think we can start with the way in which Herr R. is portrayed throughout the film. Raab is essentially an extra in his own life. He hovers in the background of most scenes, often given little dialogue compared to other characters. This is the case from the very start: the film opens with R. and his co-workers leaving for the day. As his co-workers exchange silly jokes, R. is silent; he simply walks alongside them, not really present, not really there. In scenes with R.'s wife or parents or friends, it is often the other characters who do the talking: in one extended scene in which R.'s parents visit, R. is silent the entire time, a passive observer, incapable, it seems, of being able to interact with the world around him. The film's style -- the unforgiving camera, which lingers just a little too long; the harsh, grainy colouring; the drab, empty set designs, from the cold interior of the Raabs' house to the snowy setting of pre-Christmas Munich -- all of it adds to the sense of alienation we realise our main character is experiencing.
But this film is not just a condemnation of the alienating structures of bourgeois life. It is also a condemnation of the people who allow themselves to subsist within it. Herr R., as sympathetic at times as he may seem, is also the product of a rigid conservatism -- he needs order, rules, monotony. But these, in the end, are also his downfall.
What do you think of the style of this film, its message? Did you find it as mesmerizing as I did, or was it painful to watch? Most importantly: why does Herr R. run amok?
One of the best films on the banality of day-to-day life and stored-up aggressions that are waiting to surface. A very under-represented topic in film, given the fact that most murders happen within the family under exactly these circumstances.
I always called this my favorite Fassbinder film, until I found out that Fassbinder did not only quit the project, he outright condemned the film after it was completed. Funnily enough, later he would go on to make a very similar film (Händler der vier Jahreszeiten).
By the way, the main actor Kurt Raab mentioned in an interview that he never liked his peer actress Lilith Ungerer, so that it was a great pleasure for him to kill her at least on film.
I can't find much info on this film beyond the IMDb trivia page, so thanks for the fun facts!
Do you like Händler?
Händler is alright, it's more of a 'normal' drama film that already starts with an escalation while Herr R is all about the build-up to the escalation. I also prefer the minimalism and sterility of Herr R.
Händler is great, how dare u
The acting is quite off putting to be fair. Also the whole dogme/diy feel of Herr R. makes it a more enjoyable watch for me. There's also the slight bouts of humour in it that adds to the brilliance, always thought the scene in the record store was a prime example of this.
The acting is like all the other Fassbinder films though
Some real good shit. Probably the most cringeworthy movie I actually enjoy (those long scenes of Raab rambling are the definition of Fremdschämen) and extremely violent in a psychological- and finally physical sense.
I've seen this film twice now and it really is quite an astonishing, entirely in its own genre. The end scenes are quite disturbing, so I would not recommend it to anyone with delicate sensitivities, but if you like exporing the darker side of humanity it's a must-see.
It's a while since I saw it last, but from what I recall there is a general buildup to the pressure exerted on the eponymous Herr Raub. He is a character who is quiet, reflective, and perhaps doesn't express his feelings readily. This would probably be a true reflection of many young German men who grew up with fathers who fought for the Nazis. The film is set in the 70s.
(Possible spoiler alert) All I can say is that the ending - while a visceral shock, yes, is also plausible from what has gone on before. There is a subtle buildup of pressure on Raab from start to finish. While the film may seem a little routine, it never gets boring. There are many little stabs at Raab throughout. I'm not sure if I can remember them all, but Raab is under pressure with getting a car, apartment, furniture etc from his young wife. She wants the new consumer stuff, but Raab struggles to pay for them with his modest draughtsman's job (another interesting parallel with me as I'm old enough in the tooth to just remember ink-pen pre-CAD draughting). He's always an outsider, when his wife invites her friends round to their tiny apartment. He is distant to his son. The only time he seems to become himself is when he gets drunk at the office Xmas party and then he just makes a fool of himself in front of his scornful wife and his boss.
Raab is lost at sea with the new materialist Germany, afraid and ultimately unable to cope. But he deals with it in the wrong way, holding his despair in for too long and too deeply. He has no real friends to ever gently turn the valve. His wife just seems unfeeling and quite useless. I believe at one point she crashes the car. No real problem to her but Raab may worry how his modest pay cheque will cover it with all the other stuff.
But its not just about modern consumerism; staid, boring, (particularly German/English) conventions are also offenders. Stiff upper lip. Changing sexual mores of the 70s perhaps. This film is a brilliantly executed look at how modern pressures of a changing society can break a person. And it's done with all the growing, rivet-exploding tension of a U-boat sunk at the bottom of the sea.
I watched it on Lovefilm by Post. It may be on Netflix too. Definitely worth a watch. And the dated 70's style is interesting too.