In a Year of Thirteen Moons

Based on social standards, morals, and behaviors, society places extreme emphasis on a human being’s sexual orientation. Although in recent years this gender-based stereotype which judges the actions of a particular person based on their sex has decreased, humans are still subjected to certain standards as classified by whether they are male or female. In a German film, director Rainer Fassbinder manages to step away from ordinary filmmaking by revealing a life with undefined …

…more about that person, but also learning about myself. In a year of Thirteen Moons, most of society closed their minds to Erwin. This non-acceptance on the part of society is exactly what led to Erwin’s death. The director manages to define the main character through the surrounding characters and sufficiently reveal the lives of the film’s other characters, allowing for the viewer to truly understand the effects that society had on Erwin.