Peter von Kant | François Ozon summons the spirit of Fassbinder to the Berlinale

(Berlin) François Ozon brought the spirit of the 1970s to life for the opening of the Berlinale with his peter von kanta passionate rereading of a tutelary figure of German cinema, Fassbinder, in the running for the Golden Bear.

Forty years ago, the original work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, The bitter tears of Petra von Kantwas shown at the same festival.

The presentation of this new version, freely inspired by the original, was close to the heart of François Ozon, Stakhanovist and eclectic filmmaker, for whom the German director and man of the theater who died thirty years ago is a model, of whom he had already inspired to Water drops on hot stones (2000).

This time he chose a work that explores the necessity and impossibility of loving, as well as the intoxication of power that awaits artists.

In his version, the main character, Petra von Kant, is replaced by her male alter ego, Peter, played intensely by one of her favorite actors, Denis Ménochet (In the House, Thanks to God).

He embodies an egocentric director who falls madly in love with a beginner actor, Amir, played by Khalil Gharbia, for whom this is his first film role. A devouring passion that will end up turning against Peter von Kant when Amir will take his independence, under the eyes of one of the director’s former muses, played by Isabelle Adjani. Ultimate nod to the history of cinema, the German actress Hanna Schygulla, who played in the version of Fassbinder, returns to service.

In this production in the form of a declaration of love for the cinema, which he self-produced, the director of 8 Women Where swimming pool once again demonstrates his ability to create unique and very different universes from one film to another, this time with a desire to “refilm the 1970s”, one of his favorite periods.

“What interested me was to embody and make people understand the suffering of this character of Peter von Kant”, who despairs when he discovers that “pure love” does not exist, added François Ozon, presenting his film in Berlin.

Reconciling cinemas

Screened Thursday evening in a gala session, peter von kant opens the race for the Golden Bear, reduced to six days this year against ten usually due to the health crisis. This does not prevent festival-goers from celebrating their reunion with the halls, after an ersatz festival last year, online only.

In total, during this 72^and edition, 18 films will be viewed by the jury, which found itself physically around its president, the great American name of thriller M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense, Unbreakable).

At his side, the Japanese director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, who has just won four Oscar nominations, including that of best director for Drive My Caras well as the Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, the Zimbabwean director Tsitsi Dangarembga or the Danish actress Connie Nielsen, known in particular for her roles in Gladiator or queen of the Amazons in wonder woman.

While the cinema planet is more worried than ever for its future due to the pandemic, the rise of platforms and the crisis in arthouse cinema, the jurors unanimously expressed the hope of reconciling cinema ” commercial” and copyright.

“The role of the Berlinale is to declare that there is no gap” between these two types of cinema, said Ryūsuke Hamaguchi at a press conference, when Connie Nielsen pointed out that “film festivals are essential to mix things up”.

In the absence of big American productions and their processions of stars, the festival will however lean this year largely on the side of a more confidential cinema.

We will find in competition well-known personalities, sometimes already awarded, like the Italian veteran Paolo Taviani, 90 years old, but also the Frenchwoman Claire Denis for the first time in competition, or the first feature film around the attacks of November 13 in Paris, centered on an account of survivors of the Bataclan.