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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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 28th March)

20:30

Red Island 12A
1h 57m | French w/ English subtitles
An eight-year-old boy gradually becomes aware of the complex world surrounding him in Robin Campillo's (120 BPM) semi-autobiographical exploration of life in 1970s Madagascar as France's empire crumbles.

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Tomorrow (Friday 29th March)

15:30

Driving Mum 12A
1h 53m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Hilmar Oddsson's quirky dark comedy goes on a cross-country road trip across the rugged Icelandic scenery, as a middle-aged man drives his recently deceased mother to her final resting place.

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18:00

Drive-Away Dolls 15
1h 24m
Written and directed by one half of the Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski), this riotous road-movie caper follows two young women crossing paths with a gang of inept criminals.

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20:00

Dune: Part Two 12A
2h 47m
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh, director Denis Villeneuve's highly anticipated sci-fi sequel is packed with grand visual spectacle, intricate narrative, and gigantic sandworms.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!