Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?

Herr R. (Kurt Raab) is a technical draftsman in a German city, a steady man whose boss wants more from him than clean drawings. At home, his wife (Lilith Ungerer) pushes him toward a promotion, while his mother criticizes her, old schoolmates drop in, and neighbors remark on her expensive tastes. Michael Fengler and Rainer Werner Fassbinder keep the marriage in small moments, a shared laugh followed by a long silence across the same room.