Effi Briest

One of the finest films to come out of postwar Germany, EFFI BRIEST marked the 16th feature in five years for the prolific Fassbinder. In 19th-century Germany, a 17-year-old girl (Schygulla) is forced into an unhappy marriage with a much older count (Schenck), and then falls into a short-lived relationship with an army major (Lommel). When, years after it has ended, the count discovers their affair, he kills the man in a duel and abandons his disgraced wife.

Schygulla, one of the finest actresses working in Germany today, carries the film with a truly astonishing performance, painting a moving picture of a woman exploited by everyone around her and powerless to ...