Canadian Premiere
VIFF regular François Ozon and his lead actor Denis Ménochet must have had a ball crafting this wickedly campy, thoroughly cinematic, gender-reversed take on Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Ménochet plays successful film director Peter—not coincidentally the spitting image of Fassbinder—who falls hard for the 22-year-old Amir (Khalil Gharbia) and then suffers the ultimate heartbreak when Amir, now a successful actor, ditches him. All of Peter’s petty jealousies, his vanity, and his possessiveness provide ammunition for Ménochet’s monster of a performance, while scene-stealing turns from his mute, long-suffering butler, Karl (Stéfan Crépon), his mother, Rosemarie (Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla), and his former muse/lover Sidonie (Isabelle Adjani) augment this stylish chamber piece.
Both homage and critique, Peter von Kant astutely gets under the skin of the lesbian-themed original, ekes out new resonances and proves both authentically Fassbinderian and altogether Ozonesque in its ironic sensibilities.”—Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily
Supported by
Denis Ménochet, Isabelle Adjani, Khalil Gharbia, Hanna Schygulla, Stéfan Crépon, Aminthe Audiard
France
2022
In French and German with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about. Rated: G
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman Animation's handcrafted mix of dad jokes, slapstick, mock dramatics and understated emotion makes this return for the claymation odd couple a constant delight. The villainous Feathers McGraw is back to no good, commandeering Norbot the robot. Rated: G
The Count of Monte Cristo
You can't beat this evergreen Alexandre Dumas tale for adventure, intrigue and romance. This lavish French blockbuster from the writers of the recent Three Musketeers movies pulls you in from the first scene and doesn't let off for the next three hours. Rated: PG
Flow
In this wordless and gorgeously atmospheric animated feature, a solitary black cat survives a tsunami and must confront his fear of water whilst sailing through a flooded world with a group of misfit animals. An enchanting adventure film for all ages. Rated: G
The Holdovers
Destined to become a seasonal staple, this bittersweet comedy reunites Sideways director and star Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in the portrait of a surly classics teacher forced to babysit five "orphans" at boarding school over the holidays.
Who by Fire
Jeff, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker, goes on vacation with his friend Max and his family to an isolated lodge. Philippe Lesage’s film is a tense, mesmerizing tour de force that is both agonizing and cathartic. A Berlinale award winner.
Credits
Producer
François Ozon
Screenwriter
François Ozon
Cinematography
Manu Dacosse
Editor
Laure Gardette
Production Design
Katia Wyszkop
Original Music
Clément Ducol
Director
François Ozon
Director and screenwriter François Ozon was born in Paris and studied at La Fémis film school. His Berlinale award-winning films include Water Drops on Burning Rocks, which won the 2000 Teddy Award; 8 Women (2002), whose ensemble cast won the Silver Bear; and By the Grace of God (2019), for which he won the Grand Jury Prize. In 2012, he was a member of the Competition jury himself. Peter Von Kant is his fifth film to screen in the Berlinale Competition.
Filmography: Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000); 8 Women (2002); Angel (2007); By the Grace of God (2019)