Famed German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder typically portrays aspects of the human struggle using an unwavering style that is often difficult to watch but provides a refreshingly raw and honest narrative perspective. Merchant Of Four Seasons is an engaging close-up portrait of a downtrodden fruit seller named Hans.

Full of hope after serving with the Foreign Legion, Hans becomes a police officer--only to be fired for an indiscretion with a prostitute, humiliating himself and his family. Hungry for a piece of the economic boom of the 1950s, Hans begins selling produce from a cart, much to the dismay of his class-conscious family. Saddled with a shrewish wife, Hans derives most of his pleasure from drink and flirting with a former girlfriend, whom he truly loves. However, when he hires a former Foreign Legion friend to help with his business, things suddenly take an unfortunate turn, making Hans obsolete in the process.

The Merchant Of Four Seasons was a turning point in Fassbinder's career, marking his entry into the international arena and the subsequent scrutiny of his notorious private life