The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant15

Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder | German | 1972 | 2h 4m | German w/ English subtitles | Starring Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Eva Mattes

Petra von Kant, a successful fashion designer, is engaged in a S&M relationship with her secretary Marlene, but soon finds herself drawn to a younger beautiful model. An exquisitely intense portrayal of obsession and tortured romance by legendary figure of the New German Cinema movement of the 1960s-80s, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, The Marriage of Maria Braun).

Reviews

‘Offers a sensory feast that’s expanded on by the elaborate dialogue, which is poetic even as translated into English, and by the astonishingly sensual and fluid movements of the actors and the camera.’
★★★★★
Ed Gonzalez, Slant

‘A master class in the dynamic visual use of a constricted space, and proof that a tiny budget is no excuse.’
★★★★
Mike D’Angelo, The AV Club

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant between April 3, 2022 and April 6, 2022.

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15:15

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1h 52m | Croatian & Italian w/ English subtitles
Igor Bezinović revisits D’Annunzio’s 1919 ultranationalist occupation of Fiume, blending archival footage, reenactments, and interviews. This inventive documentary interrogates memory, myth-making, and lingering fascist shadows. Winner of Rotterdam’s Tiger Award and Croatia’s Oscar submission.

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