Fassbinder considered this to be his favorite of his own films. While in a hotel with too much drink, drugs and time the cast and crew of a film are gradually unravelling as they await the arrival of their director.
Semi-autobiographical, the film was influenced by the shooting of the director's earlier Whity in Spain. Beware of a Holy Whore opens with a soliloquy delivered by Werner Schroeter about the synopsis of a Disney story featuring Goofy , the dog. Goofy cross-dresses in his aunt's clothes to teach a kindergarten class and, after being ridiculed by the class, takes a "poor orphan girl" into his home.
The little girl is actually a dwarf gangster, Wee Willy, and he fools Goofy into caring for him by wearing the clothes that Goofy discarded after being ridiculed by the school children.
That night Goofy's house is raided by police and Wee Willy is arrested, revealing the "poor orphan girl's" true identity to Goofy. When Willy's true identity is revealed the confused Goofy says, "What a shock that must have been for the poor little girl when she discovered that she is a crook".
In both instancesβattempting to teach the kindergarten class and caring for Wee WillyβGoofy is beaten by those for whom he only sought to care. This opening soliloquy alludes to the film's underlying themes of violence, self-blindness, and same-sex and bisexual relationships. While waiting for everything the cast engages in sexual intrigues both same-sex and opposite-sex , slander, and challenging power dynamics amongst themselves.
