Sex is the ultimate weapon.

Fashion designer Petra Von Kant (Margit Carstensen) has a relationship with 23-year-old Karin Thimm (Hanna Schygulla), but can’t tolerate that Karin sometimes sleeps with men. I love certain movies where people do nothing but go at each others’ throats, like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but this film is not up to par. Some viewers found the two hours of conversations fascinating, but parts of it are almost unbearably slow. Worth admiring in lieu of a compelling script is Petra’s opulently decorated apartment.

1973-West Germany. 120 min. Color. Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Cast: Margit Carstensen (Petra Von Kant), Hanna Schygulla (Karin Thimm), Irm Hermann (Marlene), Eva Mattes, Katrin Schaake, Gisela Fackeldey.

Trivia: Original title: Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra Von Kant. Remade for Spanish television in 2001.

Published 2002-09-20 11:52