*The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant* (1972) marks the high point of director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (one of the stars of the German New Wave) in his flirtation with Hollywood melodrama. The film is a loose reworking of *All About Eve* with a lesbian twist.

Petra von Kant is a successful and arrogant fashion designer who falls in love with model Karin, and invites her to move in. The film traces the decline and aftermath of this doomed relationship in which Karin uses Petra to get ahead in the fashion world.

The film builds up a claustrophobic atmosphere by confining the action entirely to Petra’s ornately-decorated apartment, cluttered with dolls and mannequins. This a powerful and cynical portrayal of manipulation through sexual power, and of repressed bitterness and despair which eventually erupts into one woman’s life.