PETER VON KANT -- A Standard Remake of the Legendary Film

Review by Sean Boelman

François Ozon is without a doubt one of the most acclaimed gay filmmakers working today, so it makes sense that he would be the one to remake an iconic film from one of the most influential gay filmmakers of all time, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Peter von Kant is Ozon’s attempt at making something deliciously meta, but it doesn’t always work.
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A gender-swapped version of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, the movie follows an older, self-absorbed film director who forms a tumultuous relationship with a young actor. It’s not the concept of the movie that isn’t strong, but Ozon’s interpretation of the material isn’t as developed as it should be.

Loosely inspired by the life of Fassbinder himself, it’s clear that Ozon wants this film to be a commentary on the entertainment industry, but the ninety minute runtime doesn’t allow the movie much time to explore these themes. The film’s messages about predatory behavior and how the industry spits out people perceived as being “past their prime” are contradictory to each other and really don’t work.

There is supposed to be some sort of pseudo-love triangle here between the protagonist, his young lover, and his assistant (although the relationship between the protagonist and his assistant hardly resembles love), but it is extremely stilted. It is too focused on the central romance to make much of the assistant character.

Denis Ménochet’s performance is one of the best things about this movie. It’s the type of performance that is able to rise above less-than-stellar material to provide a strong emotional grounding to the movie. Khalil Ben Gharbia is excellent in his first-ever performance in a feature-length film, holding his own against the more seasoned Ménochet. Isabelle Adjiani also has a small role in the movie that isn’t big enough to be memorable.

The film is certainly very play-like in nature, being little more than ninety minutes of people talking in a room. But unlike many of Ozon’s other scripts, the dialogue here isn’t very sharp and witty, instead opting for a pretty straightforward discussion of the ideas at hand. It has substance, but not subtlety.

Additionally, since the movie is entirely confined to the protagonist’s flat, it begins to feel very contained. However, instead of capitalizing on this to create something that makes the audience feel the protagonist’s anxiety, it’s just really straightforward and even at times dull, which is not something fans are used to saying about Ozon’s films.
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Although Peter von Kant is hardly a bad movie, it doesn’t stack up against the many extraordinary films that Ozon has made in his career. His intent in reimagining Fassbinder might have been noble, but perhaps this is a story that didn’t need to be redone — or at least, not like this.

Peter von Kant hits theaters on September 2.

​Rating: 3/5