The Merchant of Four Seasons

The Merchant of Four Seasons (German: Händler der vier Jahreszeiten) is a 1972 West German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hans Hirschmüller and Irm Hermann. The plot follows the life of a fruit-peddler, living in 1950s Munich. "Hans - wife-beater, caricature of stunted manhood, treated like shit by his middle-class family—tries to make a little happiness of his own, and fails miserably." The title derives from the French expression for a fruit and vegetable seller, un marchand des quatre-saisons. The film explores issues of class prejudices, domestic violence, infidelity, family discord, depression and self-destructive behavior.