Für mich gab’s nur noch Fassbinder

In ‘Für mich gab’s nur noch Fassbinder!’ – Die glücklichen Opfer der Rainer Werner F. (to quote the complete title), Von Praunheim provides a beautiful portrait of the enfant terrible of German cinema who died in 1982. Von Praunheim describes his personal attitude to Fassbinder as follows: ‘Fassbinder, I knew him when he was starting out, and I couldn’t like him. I was jealous of him, envious, and I never liked melodrama. It was only after his death that I really became aware of his qualities. I was fascinated by his wild life – contrast with bourgeois dramas – and his courage to live out the most extreme situations.’Von Praunheim’s documentary, intended to expose Fassbinder’s personality and his work approach, looks at his favourite actresses, from Hanna Schygulla to Jeanne Moreau. Irm Hermann, who acted in nineteen of his films, has a very special place. In addition, Von Praunheim interviews the owner of the local bar, Fassbinder’s former editor Juliane Lorenz, who now controls his estate, and cameraman Michael Ballhaus. It provides an unusual insight into the `Fassbinder phenomenon’.