This one-room, six-character (all of them female) drama will seem dreary and talky if you're not in the right (patient and introspective) mood for it, but if you are, you'll probably find it riveting and moving. The first half hour is a little hard to get through, but gradually Fassbinder transcends the inherent staginess with his expressive camera angles; Petra's first breakdown after Karin has left and she waits for her call is painful and real and a great piece of cinema. The ending is cruelly funny. Margit Carstensen gives an impressive, all-out performance as Petra; sexy Hanna Schygulla and entirely wordless (!) Irm Hermann are also impressive. *** out of 4.
