Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 “The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant”

German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder (b.1945-1982) was a prolific and controversial figure. In his short life, he directed over 40 films and was a leader of the New German Cinema movement (1962-1982) that formed in resistance to the commercial dictates of West German Cinema. He worked hard and fast, shooting entire films in weeks or even sometimes days. Inspired by Hollywood melodramas, his filmmaking was notable for its use of small budgets and recurring actors to make biting social criticisms of German society.

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is a lesbian chamber drama that centers on a successful yet lonely fashion designer, Petra (Margit Carstensen), who falls for a beautiful, young, aspiring model, Karin (Hanna Schygulla). Much to Petra's despair, Karin does not return her feelings, turning their relationship into a power game of seduction. The film is a deeply psychological and emotional affair where Fassbinder uses obsession and desire as a weapon to dissect the cruelty of love. The lush backdrop and costumes contrast with the bitter dialogue and tense power struggles between the women. Notably, a large reproduction of Nicolas Poussin’s Baroque masterpiece, Midas and Bacchus (1629-1630), serves as the wallpaper in Petra's apartment, which fittingly frames her tragic love affair ruined by her greed. Petra is unable to disentangle her feelings of romantic desire from control and possession of Karin, making her suffocating narcissism responsible for ruining their relationship. Structured like a play, the film mirrors Fassbinder’s own life, in which he was often romantically involved with the actors from his films. What makes Fassbinder’s films so haunting, and heartbreaking is that they were often a reflection of his personal affairs, where fear of being alone and obsession take center stage. Fassbinder tragically took his own life at the age of 37.