One of the major cinematic events of the fall is the Rainer Werner Fassbinder retrospective at Doc Films, which runs on Sunday nights at 7 PM through December 3. The series, consisting of nine features (all showing on 35-millimeter), is organized in chronological order, and this allows spectators to consider Fassbinder’s remarkable—and remarkably fast—evolution as it played out.
Despite the fluctuations in tone from camp to searing drama, Bitter Tears is one of Fassbinder’s most formally controlled efforts. Working with cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (with whom he’d collaborate throughout the decade), Fassbinder creates a seductive look that combines bright colors, deep shadows, geometric slats of light, and dynamic camera angles. It’s the first time the director truly displayed the influence of Douglas Sirk in his highly stylized approach to melodrama, and the film conveys the enthusiasm of a director discovering new tricks at his disposal. Bitter Tears also continues Fassbinder and Ballhaus’s fascination with snakelike tracking shots (previously displayed in Whity and Holy Whore), featuring brilliantly executed camera movements that shift perspective from one character to another. The filmmakers are inventive in using framing to vary the ambience of the space. When Petra and Karin are in bed together, there’s a claustrophobic feel; but when Petra suffers an emotional breakdown after Karin moves out, the home seems cavernous.
