Peter von Kant **** (2022, Denis Ménochet, Isabelle Adjani, Khalil Gharbia, Hanna Schygulla, Stéfan Crépon, Aminthe Audiard) – Movie Review

The brilliant poster is an homage to Andy Warhol’s poster for Fassbinder’s last film Querelle.

François Ozon’s 2022 film Peter von Kant freely adapts Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s play The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, turning the fashion designer Petra of the original into film director Peter. Actually, it is a warts and all portrait of Fassbinder.

French writer/ director François Ozon’s 2022 film Peter von Kant freely adapts Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s play The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, which Fassbinder himself previously filmed as The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant back in 1972, but now turning the prominent female fashion designer Petra of the original into male film director Peter. Actually, it is a warts and all portrait of Fassbinder.

Ah, yes, so boy meets boy again. This time an ageing but still beautiful movie star, Sidonie (Isabelle Adjani), arrives at the apartment of 39-year-old German film director Peter von Kant (Denis Ménochet), bringing with her the 23-year-old Amir (Khalil Gharbia), whom Peter instantly fancies. Peter gets Amir to movie in, promising to make him a star. An absolutely ghastly, truly horrible abusive relationship ensues, one of emotional sado-masochism.

Peter abuses the boy emotionally, and the boy is soon returning the favour. Amir looks innocent but actually is no innocent abroad. He tries to manipulate Peter, though that is a bit of a tall order, as Peter is an expert manipulator. Peter’s abuse extends to himself, of course, enjoying destroying his body, mind and soul with sex, drugs and prodigious amounts of alcohol.

Peter’s abuse eventually extends to Sidonie, his daughter Gabrielle (Aminthe Audiard) and mother (Hanna Schygulla), who arrive to celebrate his 40th birthday. There is one other character, Peter’s silent live-in Man Friday, Karl (Stéfan Crépon), who is the most abused of all.

The 2022 French drama film should all be a shocking and depressing tale of the road to ruin, as we witness an artist’s tragic self destruction, taking down all hands, but instead it is a revealing, entertaining, referential black comedy drama, a film’s buff’s treat, and a dramatic and acting treat. Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla, for heaven’s sake! Yes treat vies with treat. Denis Ménochet is a very good actor, and here he is brilliant, playing Peter as Fassbinder himself. He swings from sympathetic to monstrous in no seconds flat, holding the show in a tour de force. Actually, he is the show. It’s not an easy trick to pull off, and Ménochet nails it in an uncanny impersonation, or rather personification.

Isabelle Adjani is a sight to behold as Sidonie, well cast for her own acting history, and effective in a substantial key role. Hanna Schygulla is haunting as the bewildered mother, giving a lovely iconic performance. It will be remembered that Schygulla played Karin, the desirable but shallow 23-year-old woman in the original The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. In 1972, Fassbinder is supposed to have said to Schygulla: ‘I can’t stand the sight of your face any more. You bust my balls.’ This could be a line in Peter von Kant. It must have been weird for the 78-year-old actress playing the mother of this old monster.

The film’s solitary setting of Peter’s apartment and its division into separate acts reflects the original. Ozon keeps it filmic though. There’s no strain and there’s no sense of a filmed play. Instead the single set maximises dramatic tension, as it does in the original. While entertaining us, Ozon manages to deal smartly with the play’s themes of solitude, love and emotional claustrophobia. The film looks good too, stylishly shot by Belgian cinematographer Manuel Dacosse. The only thing is, there is no impression of Fassbinder as an undisputed world-class film artist. Peter never seems to do any work. He’s way too busy being abusive. Fassbinder’s self-destructive nature is well recorded but in hi short life he was immensely fertile and prolific.

The film has got a lot to say about relationships, though most if it is not very nice. Fassbinder was not very good on relationships, and was presumably talking about himself in the character of Petra, at least Ozon is definitely going with this idea. Is everything about it too Seventies, too long ago, too dated? Well, no. not really. Keeping its relevance, the film is commendably hard edged and tough toned, refusing to be sentimental just when you think it is going to be finally, a potent reminder that Fassbinder died aged only 37 on 10 June 1982 in Munich, West Germany, from an overdose of cocaine and barbiturates.

It is Ozon’s second film of a Fassbinder play, following Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000).

The film premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival as its opening film on 10 February 2022.

The cast are Denis Ménochet as Peter von Kant, Isabelle Adjani as Sidonie, Khalil Gharbia as Amir, Hanna Schygulla as Rosemarie, Stéfan Crépon as Karl, and Aminthe Audiard as Gabrielle.

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and the 1979 The Marriage of Maria Braun (also with Schygulla) are landmarks of European cinema, giving Fassbinder an undisputed place as film artist.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Movie Review

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