The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
1972/West Germany
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Petra von Kant: I think people need each other, they’re made that way. But they haven’t learnt how to live together.

High style, deep emotion, and visual art make up this beautiful, sometimes brutal, film about unrequited love.

Petra von Kant (Margrita Carstensen) is a 35-year-old fashion designer.  She lives with Marlene (Irm Hermann), who does literally everything for her.  This includes catering to her every whim from bringing drinks to dancing.  She also apparently designs all Petra’s clothes and does her writing for her.  It is implied but not explicitly indicated that the two are in a sado-masochistic relationship.  Marlene is a very important character though she does not have a single line of dialogue.

Petra’s friend introduces her to Karin Timm (Hanna Schygulla), who has returned to Germany after the failure of her marriage.  For Petra it is love at first sight.  She invites Karin to move in with her.  They become lovers of sorts though Karin is not about to give up men.  All this is carried out in front of Marlene.  It is not going to end well for anyone concerned.

For a movie that was reportedly written in twelve hours and filmed in 10 days, this looks like several million bucks.  It is one beautiful image after another.  The story is depressing and highly stylized yet I loved this film.  Unlike Godard, Fassbinder uses style to convey meaning and emotion rather than for its own sake.  It’s a story filled with unpleasant people.  I cannot help but recommend it highly.

Criterion Collection: Three Reasons