A classic Rainer Werner Fassbinder film is reimagined as a story of sadomasochistic queer male desire – and a riff on the legendary director’s own tumultuous personal life.

In Cologne, 1972, petulant Peter lives ostentatiously in his ornate apartment, accompanied by his obsequious personal assistant, Karl. Recently heartbroken, the filmmaker has taken wantonly to the bottle. But his passions are soon diverted towards alluring young acting prodigy Amir, who in turn sees the older director as a stepping stone to stardom. And so the unlikely pair begin a lopsided relationship, under Karl’s ever-watchful eye.

Featuring memorable supporting turns from Isabelle Adjani (Skirt Day, MIFF 2009; Possession) and Fassbinder muse Hanna Schygulla, Peter von Kant has been freely adapted from one of the auteur’s most celebrated works, the arch lesbian melodrama The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (MIFF 1973). At once stunning and scintillating, this sly homage from François Ozon (5 × 2, MIFF 2005; Swimming Pool, MIFF 2003) goes beyond its gender-swapped premise, however – it also sketches a sensitive portrait of the brilliant but notoriously volatile German auteur himself.

“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.” – Screen Daily