The Merchant of Four Seasons

This anguished yet mordantly funny film charts the decline of a self-destructive former policeman and war veteran struggling to make ends meet for his family by working as a fruit vendor. Director Fassbinder had gained acclaim for a series of trenchant early films, but for this one he forged a new style -- featuring a more complexly woven script and narrative structure and more sophisticated use of the camera, and influenced by his idol, Douglas Sirk. The result is a meticulously made, unforgiving social satire.

This anguished yet mordantly funny film charts the decline of a self-destructive former policeman and war veteran struggling to make ends meet for his family by working as a fruit vendor. Director Fassbinder had gained acclaim... Read more