A Woman Under the Influence

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 1974, 155 min
Section: John Cassavetes

Synopsis

Regarded by many critics as a masterpiece, this harrowing portrait of a marriage and a woman on the verge of madness was unprecedented in the American cinema. Complex and messy, it’s a picture of family life that explores shifting relationships, impulse, emotion, and the interactions that lead to trouble.  Emotionally fragile Mabel (Gena Rowlands) is married to quick-tempered, bullying Nick (Peter Falk), a construction foreman for the city of Los Angeles.  When she sends their three kids to her mother’s in order to have a night alone with her husband, she feels at a loss. Mabel defines herself so utterly according to her love for her family, that when her husband cancels their date, she reacts by getting blitzed at a local bar and bringing home another man. The film poses numerous questions for which there are no easy answers: about conformity to the expectations that society imposes, about whether it is possible to be an emotionally honest person and an adult/parent/spouse at the same time, and even about what type of outbursts are acceptable. Who are we? What do we want out of life?  Where are we comfortable? How do we limit others and ourselves with the roles we play? Rowlands deservedly won several acting awards for her work as “mad Mabel.”

About the director

see: Tribute to John Cassavetes