funeral industry satire

His surrealist cinema frequently mocked bourgeois rituals and religious ceremonies, particularly in films like 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie' where death and funeral rites become absurdist spectacles.

Herzog explores death, mortality, and human rituals with darkly comic intensity, examining how societies construct meaning around death in films like 'Aguirre' and his documentary work.

Fassbinder satirized capitalist exploitation and social hypocrisy through melodrama, often depicting funeral scenes and death rituals as commentary on commercialization and human indifference.