A Woman Under the Influence

My first ever Cassavetes. A director who I haven't been actively avoiding, still I had a feeling his films might not be quite what I was looking for. A Woman Under the Influence confirmed my expectations, though it could've been a lot worse, considering the type of film Cassavetes tried to make.

While I'm not a big fan of it, the almost documentary-like approach worked well and fitted the tone of the film. It's incredibly ugly and unattractive and just more proof that I don't handle that grim, gray and dire 70s look very well, but at least it did get me a little closer to the characters, which is what this film is all about.

What I absolutely couldn't stomach was the constant conflict. Every bit of dialogue is a shouting match, even the simplest interaction is fraught with tension and irritation. Sadly Falk and Rowlands weren't capable enough to pull it off, so after about half an hour the film really started to get on my nerves. Not a success.