By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Christian Braad Thomsen
Original language title: Fassbinder: At Elske Uden at Kræve
Country: denmark
Year: 2015
Running time: 109
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4290342/combined
Thom says: “I received 2 free tickets to features at the current LGBT Film Festival so I was thrilled to attend. This film was decidedly difficult to rate because of my obvious subjectivity. Fassbinder is my favorite director for my entire life so it was almost a given that I’d be fascinated by this film from top-to-bottom. Still, I must be truthful and list a number of objective complaints. Apparently Danish director Thomsen had been friends with Fassbinder throughout his life and one rather debauched evening ended in a drunken interview where Fassbinder explains his take on life and the arts and society. While I might have hung on every word, the talk was rambling and nearly incoherent at times. The two major interviewees, besides Fassbinder’s mother, Harry Baer & Irm Hermann are smart, solid choices as Baer was in 15 Fassbinder features and Hermann in 17. Hermann also lived with Fassbinder and was mistreated by him as is well know.
“And yet while the few talking heads present many fascinating & powerful memories the certainly don’t create a valid, well-rounded picture. What finally sells the film to me is the copious number of scenes from established masterpieces that firmly bring home the thoughts of Thomsen. Now, if only we had heard from Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Margit Carstinsen, Kurt Raab, Rosel Zech, GüntherKaufmann, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Hark Bohm, et al. 5 cats”