The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (1972)

So…this was one of the films which I’m not into, but couldn’t necessarily tell you why. Petra von Kant (Margrit Carstensen) is supposed to be a fashion designer living….somewhere in Germany, but we never see her doing any design work; instead, she leaves most of that, and most of everything else, to her wordless assistant Marlene (Irm Hermann). Instead, we only see Petra loll about in her bedroom, baroquely furnished with a big bed, white shag rug, and a recreation of a painting of Midas and Bacchus as a mural on one wall. It’s where Petra does everything; where she barks orders to Marlene to fetch her orange juice, it’s where she takes phone calls, it’s where she commands Marlene to do some sketches or to take dictation, it’s where she receives guests like her cousin Sidonie (Katrin Schaake). It’s also, of course, the site where she attempts to seduce lovers – like the younger woman, Karin (Hanna Schygulla), an aspiring model whom Petra lures in with promises of support for her…