"Fox And His Friends" (1976)

(Originally released as Faustrecht der Freirheit)

Starring: Peter Chatel, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Karl-Heinz Böhm, Adrian Hoven, Christane Maybach

First, the Lowdown: A gay German wins the lottery and loses his heart.

Life is a cabaret, my friend, come to the cabaret.

Fox is a sideshow performer working at is lover's exhibit. At least until the police shut it down and arrest his lover for tax evasion Fox finds himself without a job or a place to stay. Worse yet, he has no money to indulge in his favorite pastime – playing the lottery. Desperate for money to buy a ticket, Fox hustles an older gentleman, Max, who helps him steal 10 Marks from a florist. He puts it all into a ticket and wins 500,00 DM.

Max enjoys Fox's company, but Max's friends cannot stand him. At least until they learn of Fox's jackpot. Especially Eugen, a snob with expensive tastes. Eugen leaves his current lover and begins to entice Fox, who is both attracted and intimidated by Eugen's rich upbringing and polished demeanor.

Eugen's motivations aren't exactly selfish, though. His father runs a bookbindery that is losing money quickly. Fox hears of this and offers a loan of 100,000 DM to help with the business. But once the loan is in place, more complications with the business arise, demanding more money be loaned from Fox. Eugen is thrown out of his apartment because of Fox's frequent visits, so he convinces the younger man to buy a condominium.

From the beginning I got a feeling of unease as soon as Eugen enters the screen. Which only increased as the movie went on. Much of this movie shows the slow progression of a damned relationship. Fox's naivety is only outmatched by his sad devotion to a man who has been clearly manipulating him for his money from the outset. Because this isn't an American film, it doesn't end well (but not so poorly that I'm going to give away everything). The film is entertaining for its realism, but it's the same realism that makes it uncomfortable to watch after a time.

Line of the movie: “Some people wash themselves. Others are clean.”

Three stars. It's time for pudding!