To say this film is a family melodrama would be an understatement. This is melodrama with a capital M, and a beautiful homage to the great German-American director Douglas Sirk, particularly to his film All that Heaven Allows. Fassbinder brilliantly articulates class and sexual politics by showing how once the prejudices surrounding a controversial couple begin to lessen, their relationship starts to unravel. His famous interior long shots are perfectly integrated and the colors masterfully contrasted with the reality they adorn.