Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant' (1972)

In this episode, I talk about Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film, "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant." The film tells the story of Petra, a successful fashion designer in a complicated and obsessive relationship with a younger woman named Karin. Set almost entirely in Petra’s apartment, the film unravels the entanglements of power, desire, and emotional dependency.

This episode is one of my most personal. I reflect on the ways the film mirrors an experience I had with unrequited love—an experience that consumed me for over two years. I talk about the madness and chaos of desire, the pain of not being chosen, and the way obsession can distort how we see ourselves and others.

Note: This episode was recorded before my mother's death. That is why I talk about her in the present tense.

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My Sources:

• Mise en Scène as Power Struggle by Jonathan Rosenbaum
• Melodrama and the Remake: The Cinematic Influence of Douglas Sirk on Fassbinder
• Hanna Schygulla on working with Fassbinder
• What is New German Cinema?
• New German Cinema