Created and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as a family series for WDR of Germany, this was my first experience with Fassbinders work and while perhaps not exactly representative of his normal subject matter, I think that makes it a perfect first impression. Centring around a small family in Cologne, Germany, we primarily follow couple Jochen (Gottfried John) and Marion (Hanna Schygulla), a tool factory worker and a newspaper office advertiser who fall in love at first sight. Over 5 near film-length episodes we expand to the rest of each's families, their coworkers and friends, getthing a glimpse into life in working class Germany at the time. The plot loosely covers Jochen as he tries to improve his workplace, however falls to the backdrop as each episode themes around two different couples from the group. The acting is fantastic, as is the writing, and the relationship dynamics between all was perfect, even those relationships I hated. The series doesn't shy away from difficult topics, so content warning around spousal abuse, as it navigates the many relationships, troubles, and triumphs throughout. All the cast was great; Gottfried John, what a face, and Grandma played by Luise Ullrich quickly became the fan favourite. The directing of course is phenomenal, with many shots blocked like a Baroque painting. The way Fassbinder sets up his scenes is honestly a masterclass in itself. He also has this quirk of always starting a scene with a zoom shot, and ending with another pan zoom off to some random object in the background, which was consistent if not interesting choices. I personally really enjoyed his quirks, in both writing and directing. If you like family dramas, especially those that make you feel and think, I could not recommend this one more, probably the best I've seen in a good while. Highly recommend.
