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 sexual orientation. Throughout In a Year of Thirteen Moons, Fassbinder uses the harsh judgments of society to shed light upon the reasoning for the sexual confusion and depression of the main character.
             When it comes to building character, it seems as if the impressions and beliefs of our patriarchal society outweighs self-fulfillment. What makes In a Year of Thirteen Moons so unique from other films is that it reveals how drastically the actions of others can influence a person. The main character Erwin, later known as Elvira, is plagued by society's impression of him and the opinions others make of him based on those impressions.
             While Fassbinder has deliberately altered the chronology of events in the movie, we are introduced to Erwin's sexual and social confusion in the first scene. Erwin, who has at this point in his life has claimed the identity of a woman, chooses to buy sex from a man. Although he thinks of himself as a woman at this point, Erwin chooses to dress as a man, because there is less shame buying sex as a man. This initial scene takes no time introducing us to the influence of society. Already, Erwin shows that he feels pressured by society. If Erwin was thinking for himself in this scene rather then letting society's views act for him, then Erwin would not and should not feel ashamed to buy sex dressed as a woman.
             Of course, this argument can only be made after the viewer accepts that Erwin is more com...