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Despair

Despair

Drama · Thriller · 1978

Berlin, 1930, during the rise of Nazism. Hermann Hermann, a Russian emigrant and chocolate manufacturer, married to the capricious Lydia, loses his temper more and more every day when dealing with his workers and other businessmen; until he meets Felix, a vagrant, who seems to be physically identical to him; a disconcerting fact that leads Hermann Hermann to plot a particular way out of a fake world he actually hates.

Movie details

Despair

“A hysterical comedy”

1978 Drama · Thriller 1h 57m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Berlin, 1930, during the rise of Nazism. Hermann Hermann, a Russian emigrant and chocolate manufacturer, married to the capricious Lydia, loses his temper more and more every day when dealing with his workers and other businessmen; until he meets Felix, a vagrant, who seems to be physically identical to him; a disconcerting fact that leads Hermann Hermann to plot a particular way out of a fake world he actually hates.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Despair?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Written by

Tom Stoppard

Dirk Bogarde

Dirk Bogarde

Hermann Hermann

Andréa Ferréol

Andréa Ferréol

Lydia Hermann

Klaus Löwitsch

Klaus Löwitsch

Felix Weber

Volker Spengler

Volker Spengler

Ardalion

Bernhard Wicki

Bernhard Wicki

Orlovius

Armin Meier

Armin Meier

Silverman / Sergeant Brown / Foreman

Peter Kern

Peter Kern

Müller

Court is in session

Put Despair on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.