Fear of Fear (1975)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Initial Concept by Asta Scheib
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Cinematography by Jurgen Jurges
Starring Margit Carstensen, Ulrich Faulhaber, Brigitte Mira, Irm Hermann, and Armin Meier

Released by: Wellspring
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Rent it.

The works of Rainer Werner Fassbinder are known in film circles for their depth and unblinking portrayal of human experience. Struggling to create his own production base, in the American model, in a German film industry that supported state-run film companies, Fassbinder was a model of artistic integrity and vision.

Fear of Fear is one of Fassbinder’s noir pieces wherein Margott (Carstensen), a middle class housewife, is pregnant with her second child, and fears that baby-related mental illness is setting in. Her husband (Faulhaber), who should be her rock and shelter in this difficult situation, is too preoccupied with his own career advancement issues and education to help or offer her moral support. Even the other women in her life, her mother-in-law and sister, offer more hostility and ridicule than support. Margott, then, is left on her own with a crumbling sense of reality and a growing sense of fear. Seeking relief in alcohol, valium, and a brief affair, the character of Margott does an excellent job of representing all those who suffer from depression in the modern world.

This film tackles one of Fassbinder’s favorite subjects: a central character whose spouse or family has no understanding for them and indeed makes his or her life exponentially more difficult. Kurt’s essential abandonment of Margot when she needs him most is emblematic of a martial structure that needs an overhaul, and the broken sense of connection among women is another indication of the subservient role of women, where the kicked dogs bite each other for scraps from the master’s table.

The audio and video quality are strong here. The cinematographer makes excellent use of the play of color and shadow, strengthening the sense of madness and depression that Margot feels more and more as the film wears on. Her fear is echoed beautifully in the settings, the lighting, and even the small motions that the actress makes. This is a film rich in visual detail, so there is much to feast the eye upon in more than one viewing.

In short, film students will need to see this film for its craft and its place in the oeuvre of Fassbinder. Non film buffs will still enjoy this look at how pregnancy depression was handled, or rather not handled, at one time, and how it can reflect or epitomize the modern sense of alienation and abandonment that we all feel at times, especially at the hands of our loved ones who are supposed to be the very ones who protect and salve us. Today, the women in Margot’s life would have censured her use of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy instead of trying to address the mental illness that drove her to seek such desperate balms, and her husband would still have had no idea how to handle a pregnancy-related issue…so how far have we really come?