1979 Fassbinder movie
Rating: 17/20
Plot: The titular character's marriage runs into some issues because of a war, a murder, and an exchange of money. Luckily, the loving couple still have a burning passion for each other.
This really does show the duration of a marriage, from a chaotic wedding filmed like an 21st Century action sequence to a final scene when the titular woman ends the movie on her terms. There are parallels in that beginning and ending, and you don't even have to look all that closely to see them. I loved that beginning with all those papers dancing in the air and the random cries from a baby, the type of movie opening that makes it seem like you somehow jumped right into the end of the movie.
Hanna Schygulla's a beautiful woman with an ugly name. I enjoyed her legs most, but she's just so lovely in all these early scenes in this war-torn setting. She practically glows against the dreary, dilapidated backdrops, and early on, her luck seems so bad that you can't help root for her even when the character is making some questionable or selfish decisions. She uses people--especially men--and displays this apathy, even saying "It's not a good time for feelings" while it seems rare that there's ever a good time for feelings with her. It should make her a villain, but there's something about the way she takes charge and rises above the situation to become what she becomes that makes her almost heroic.
Schygulla's performance is good, but Fassbinder also has all these little moments that are never commented on that also showcase the heart (or heartlessness) of this character. The way she's framed in comparison with other characters, subtle glances, a lack of eye contact, an enticing movement. When I first started watching Fassbinder movies, I thought there was something a little lazy about him. Well, lazy might not be the right word. But I definitely felt he was on the other side of the spectrum from a more anal, meticulous director like Wes Anderson or somebody. But there is a lot in the details with this one, and the movie is shot beautifully with several impressive extended takes. The choreography with characters in a scene where she finds out the truth--at least the truth at that particular moment in time--is great, and I also liked a scene at the end where Schygulla is a whirlwind. Other great moments include a sensual scene with wet black and white flesh, an undressing scene with an observer in the background, and a key-fumbling scene. Oh, and every shot that showed the tear in Maria's mother's boyfriend's t-shirt.
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