Katzelmacher

This is probably Fassbinder's best early film. It's a spare, almost minimalist film about aimless youth centered around a group from an apartment building. They sit and stare with existential angst, and occasionally engage in meaningless sex. They sort of talk about politics, gossip about one another, discuss their relationships, and occasionally break out into jarring moments of domestic violence, though it's not a very wordy or action packed film. Actually, this description probably makes it sound rather dull, and in many was it is. Yet Fassbinder still manages to make it interesting. Apparently the title translates to "cock-master", which seems strangely appropriate, yet "Katzelmacher" just sounds so much cooler.