The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT is a scathing chamber piece that could have only sprung from the mind of German cinema's enfant terrible, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Based on a play by the maniacally prolific writer-director, the film is a hyper-contained tale of obsession and deception. Margit Carstensen plays the titular character, an emotionally unstable fashion designer who becomes obsessed with one of her models, the gorgeous Karin (Hanna Schygulla). What at first appears to be an open and shut case of the powerful dominating the powerless becomes something much more complex as the film builds to its shocking third-act climax.

One of Fassbinder's most widely recognized films, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT features deeply affecting performances from regular contributors Carstensen (MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN) and Schygulla (THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN). In adapting his own play for the screen, the devious rebel once again employs his contradictory style, which juxtaposes intense, almost unbearably intimate drama with melodramatic, campy flourishes. The result is an uncomfortable viewing experience, to be sure, but one that tests the boundaries of drama in a way few films ever have.