• In early 1930s Germany, against the backdrop of the Nazis’ rise, Hermann Hermann (Dirk Bogarde), a Russian emigrant and successful chocolate magnate, starts experiencing mental breakdowns. He soon meets Felix (Klaus Löwtisch), an unemployed laborer, whom Hermann believes to be his doppelganger. He hatches up an elaborate plot, which he believes will free him of all worries and nightmares. Based on Otchayanie by Vladimir Nabokov.

  • Director: Rainer Werner Fassbender

    Screenplay: Rainer Werner Fassbender

    Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Klaus Löwtisch, Andréa Ferréol

    Executive Producer: Edward R. Pressman

    Distributor: New Line Cinema

  • PRESS:

    AWARDS:

    Won:

    • Best Direction (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) / German Film Awards, 1978

    • Best Cinematography (Michael Ballhaus), / German Film Awards, 1978

    • Best Production Design (Rolf Zehetbauer) / German Film Awards, 1978

    Nominated:

    • Palme d’Or / Cannes Film Festival 1978

  • IMDb: Despair (1978)

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