The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

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Tim M @tgmacman Sep 27 Emotionally raw and with a dominant performance from Margit Carstensen, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant finds Rainer Werner Fassbinder adapting his play with aplomb. See more Dave S @RT68722908 12/01/2024 Petra (Margit Carstensen) is a fading fashion designer, living in an oddly eclectic home, who spends her days in existential angst, obsessively dwelling on past relationships and her current state of affairs. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant deals with a wide range of themes, including the inherently fractious nature of relationships, jealousy, human suffering, generational manipulation, and love, among other things. While it may be too talky for its own good at times, much of the dialogue is brilliantly insightful. It’s also beautifully directed by Fassbinder, featuring countless beautifully blocked shots, excellent cinematography, and great performances from the entire cast. It’s not something that all viewers will enjoy, but will be rewarding for those who stick it out until the end. See more PridePosterStudios @RT04271525 09/20/2023 Keep your hair on, Petra… See more William L @RT77267842 09/27/2021 "I don't understand why everything must be so complicated when it can be simple." Sort of like Bergman, but with the melodrama dialed up and pain expressed through extravagant outfits rather than depression (though that may be a recent viewing of Cries and Whispers talking). Fassbinder's film feels like a relic from his vaunted career launchpad in theatre (because it is a direct adaptation of a stage play, and retains a confined atmosphere to match), with a minimal cast and a reliance on sincere interpersonal drama. Bitter Tears rides the waves of passion, diving headfirst into a beautifully self-absorbed and volatile fashion designer, Carstensen's titular Petra von Kant; the script draws you in with her enticingly chemical personality and penchant for melodrama, before gradually slipping into a sincere portrayal of obsession and desire. Contrasting Petra's increasingly authoritarian and sadistic treatment of her assistant Marlene (and her own daughter, and any visitor unfortunate enough to visit her home) with her increasingly submissive and degrading relationship with her lover-muse Karin delivers an interesting portrayal of desire, only wearing a thin veneer of garishness in a continuously rotating retinue of wigs. Where does the melodrama end and the sincere feeling begin? Is there a line between the two? Maybe there isn't after all. Emotion is emotion. (4/5) See more s r @ScottR 09/01/2020 1001 movies to see before you die. An odd film showing women's struggle for meaningful relationships. Saw on HBO See more 07/25/2020 Perhaps no one other than Faye Dunaway has portrayed grandiose suffering so eloquently as Margit Carstensen in The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Fabulous costumes, claustrophobic cinematography, and flawless direction all certainly contribute to the film's greatness, but it's Rainer Werner Fassbinder's withering dissection of human power dynamics that truly sets Bitter Tears apart. The prolific dynamo auteur challenges his audience to both endure Petra's theatric wallowing and senseless cruelty, but also sympathize with her almost pitiful vulnerability. Gleefully stifling and endlessly indulgent, Fassbinder's multi-layered masterwork only becomes better with age. See more Read all reviews

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

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