The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (1974)

Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Starring Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Irm Hermann, Eva Mattes, Gisela Fackeldey.

The self-destructive love affair between the titular fashion designer (Cartensen) and an aspiring muse-like model (Schygulla) is given an icy, ambiguous treatment by writer/director Fassbinder in this claustrophobic melodrama told over several acts (marked by the ever-changing hair color of its protagonist), all in the same gaudily-decorated deluxe bedroom. Slow, talky, and restrictive, with only the occasional striking camera composition and oh-so-brief campy outburst to liven things up; its modulated insights into codependency and sadomasochistic control have intriguing shades, but it’s a challenge to appreciate them in such a long-winded and methodically-stylized exercise. Those more consistently enamored by the director’s work are likely to rate the film higher. Photographed by Michael Ballhaus; interior design by Kurt Raab. Based on one of Fassbinder’s plays, and later adapted into an opera.

64/100