Martha

At thirty years old Martha is working as a librarian and lives with her parents. After the death of her father she takes care of a domineering mother until the mother's behavior does not exceed a reasonable level and the daughter decides to become independent. She married Helmut, from whom however, turns into be a despotic brute. Physical and psychological humiliation on his part, Martha thinking initially this as part of the marriage, but when the man on her behalf does resign, places her mother in an institution and Martha goes under house arrest, it is clear that she has become a victim of a tyrant. Will Martha be able to fight back or will she choose the role of the victim voluntarily?

Martha (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, FRG, 1974, 116 min.)