I Only Want You to Love Me (1976)
"Ich will doch nur, daß ihr mich liebt" (original title)

A man is interviewed by a sympathetic woman. His tale unfolds, of hard work that never pleases his parents, of a father who denigrates his efforts, of an indifferent mother. He builds them ... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (screenplay), Klaus Antes (book),

Stars:

Vitus Zeplichal, Elke Aberle, Alexander Allerson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vitus Zeplichal	...	Peter Trepper
Elke Aberle	...	Erika
Alexander Allerson	...	Vater Ernst Trepper
Erni Mangold	...	Mutter Edith Trepper (as Ernie Mangold, Erni Mangold)
Johanna Hofer	...	Erikas Großmutter
Wolfgang Hess	...	Bauleiter
Armin Meier	...	Polier
Erika Runge	...	Interviewerin (as Dr. Erika Runge)
Katherina Buchhammer	...	Ulla (scenes deleted) (as Katharina Buchhammer)
Ellen Eckelmann	...	Bedienung Olga
Ulrich Radke	...	Erikas Vater Albert
Annemarie Wendl	...	Erikas Mutter Lis
János Gönczöl	...	Wirt (as Janos Gönczöl)
Edith Volkmann	...	Wirtin
Robert Naegele	...	Gerichtsvollzieher

Storyline

A man is interviewed by a sympathetic woman. His tale unfolds, of hard work that never pleases his parents, of a father who denigrates his efforts, of an indifferent mother. He builds them a house. Instead of offering their flat to him and his bride, they give the flat up, so he goes to Munich to work in construction, bringing his wife who is soon pregnant. They buy things on credit; he works overtime. He shows up with flowers and expensive gifts. When construction slows and he works less overtime, he cannot adjust his spending habits: he needs to be loved. Pressures mount. When he snaps, and violence ensues, who will be his victim?

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Plot Keywords:

husband wife relationship | mother son relationship | male frontal nudity | father son relationship | marriage | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

23 March 1976 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Chce tylko, aby mnie kochano

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Atelier, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Von der Liebe und den Zwängen: Mutmaßungen über Fassbinders 'Ich will doch nur, daß ihr mich liebt' (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Es fährt ein Zug nach Nirgendwo"
Performed by Vitus Zeplichal

User Reviews

Lost Fassbinder masterpiece

Made in a hurry for German TV, this demonstration of the adage that You Can't Buy Love is shot in a quasi-documentary style that evokes the British lumpenprole aesthetic of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. But Fassbinder is no social-worker/muckraker; this tale of a guy who just wants a little tenderness has the lockstep tragedic structure of Racine or Aeschylus. As in most of Fassbinder's best work, like FOX AND HIS FRIENDS, the impulse toward melodrama is naked and unashamed. The score, by Peer Raben, exceeds his most brilliant efforts. And the last line, and the hero's reaction, caught in nightmarish freeze-frame, stands as one of Fassbinder's greatest masterstrokes.