L'année des treize lunes

"In a Year of 13 Moons" is a harrowing and brutal film that explores the themes of identity, human suffering and despair. Fassbinder's films, for the most part, are penetrating glimpses into the human condition at its most vulnerable. I really adore Ingmar Bergman's films, but they are considered "too pessimistic or depressing" for some, but my goodness, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's are bleak as night, often set in an unforgiving, cold and unreceptive world.

The film follows Elvira Weishaupt (Volker Spengler), a troubled and struggling transgender woman, who is wrestling with her identity. Fassbinder would construct the film through a non-linear narrative, that intertwines her many painful memories, her personal encounters, and the many philosophical thoughts and reflections on her life. Considered by many to be one of Fassbinder's most challenging and deeply personal films, and for good reason too. Fassbinder would make "In a Year of 13 Moons" in response to the suicide of his close lover, and this grief added to the intense and turbulent atmosphere that the film carries. The themes of rejection and despair are strong themes that drive the film, along with the search for love, and the pain and devastation of its absence. One of my favorite directors, Richard Linklater, would regard it as his favorite Fassbinder film. It is claustrophobic and very depressing, but for people who enjoy character driven dramas, then you may appreciate it.