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      Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven

      Released Jul 7, 1975 1h 45m Drama List
      100% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 88% 500+ Ratings Audience Score When her husband kills himself after going on a killing spree at the factory where he worked, Emma "Mother" Küsters (Brigitte Mira) finds herself the sudden object of a media frenzy. But, as her husband's violent end makes the news, Mother finds that no one will listen to her -- least of all the members of her own family. Her son Ernst (Armin Meier) skips town while her money-hungry daughter Corinna (Ingrid Caven) exploits her naivety to advance her career as a singer. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (16) audience reviews
      Audience Member Successful both as a commentary about political manipulation, and as bleak story on grief, Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven is one of Fassbinder's most satisfying films (particularly the European version that features the tragic ending). Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Has pacing issues in the middle, but the viewer's patience is rewarded with two cracking endings. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Ultimately sad film about media manipulation and the selfishness inherent in politics. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review kevin w Fassbinder's satire looks at the life of a middle-aged woman and her family after the death of her husband. Comic at times, dramatic others, and cynical throughout, with quiet desperation undercutting everything, here is a film bored with thinking and thought and the perception of better living through either. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member As the tag line reads, this film was banned from the Berlin Film Festival in 1975, and I know exactly why. It's what you call a 'bleak comedy'. But the emotion that it carries throughout the whole movie is disturbing, yet riveting. I first watched this movie not knowing any synopsis of it at all and when it was over, my jaw literally dropped to the floor. Foreign films can be quite moving. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Ach ja, der Rainer Werner konnte schon Filme machen. Interessant erzählt, gut gespielt und eigentlich so ziemlich gegen Alles und Jeden hat Fassbinder auch mit diesen Film bewiesen, dass man ihn einfach in keine Schublade stecken kann. Besonders angetan war ich vom alternativen Ende, das eigentliche Ende ist zwar auch in Ordnung, ist aber schon ziemlich absurd wenn man mich fragt. 3,5/5 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (10) Critics Reviews
      Vincent Canby New York Times A witty, spare, beautifully performed political comedy. Rated: 4/5 Jul 25, 2005 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader No other director understands the strength of mediocre minds as does Fassbinder; when his films don't slip into derision, they can be ineffably moving, as this one is. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Heaven is what you make it. The media just makes trash. Rated: FIVE STARS Mar 29, 2022 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven ... is a complex look at the social and emotional consequences, both overt and subterranean, of a society based on exploitation. Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Leigh Charlton Los Angeles Free Press For those who have not yet dribbled their toes in the cold waters of Fassbinder's psyche, Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven... is a worthy introduction. Oct 23, 2019 Full Review TV Guide Fassbinder created another emotionally distancing, disturbing, yet always funny and fascinating picture. Rated: 2.5/4 Sep 18, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When her husband kills himself after going on a killing spree at the factory where he worked, Emma "Mother" Küsters (Brigitte Mira) finds herself the sudden object of a media frenzy. But, as her husband's violent end makes the news, Mother finds that no one will listen to her -- least of all the members of her own family. Her son Ernst (Armin Meier) skips town while her money-hungry daughter Corinna (Ingrid Caven) exploits her naivety to advance her career as a singer.
      Director
      Rainer Werner Fassbinder
      Screenwriter
      Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Kurt Raab, Heinrich Zille
      Distributor
      New Yorker Films
      Production Co
      Filmverlag der Autoren
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      German
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jul 7, 1975, Original
      Runtime
      1h 45m
      Sound Mix
      Mono