Making her debut in television, Barbara Sukowa made a name for herself on the big screen in 1981 in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta – a director with whom she would work multiple times. In one strong woman role after another, her intense, visceral yet disciplined acting allowed her to portray complex and ambivalent characters, cementing her as one of the greatest actresses in German cinema.
In 1957, during the Adenauer era. The new building commissioner comes up against the greed of real estate speculators. After falling in love with Lola, a singer at a brothel, he gradually abandons his integrity and becomes part of the system.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. He directed over 40 films that span a variety of genres; frequently his work blends elements of Hollywood melodrama with social criticism and avant-garde techniques. His films explored "the exploitability of feelings". His work was deeply rooted in post-war German culture: the aftermath of Nazism, the German economic miracle and the Red Army Faction. Early on, Fassbinder focused on marginalized figures in the city, including migrant workers, and prisoners. He worked with a company of actors and technicians who frequently appeared in his projects.
