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John Cassavetes Film Review Series - Part One - A Woman Under The Influence

The Godfather of American independent cinema's crowning achievement.

By Declan PowersPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Depending on your point of view, A Woman Under the Influence could be one of the most prophetic and haunting depictions of mental illness, or a cautionary tale of the dangers of falsely committing someone who is thought to be mentally ill. One of the brilliant things about the film is that it appeals to both notions flawlessly.

The movie stars Gena Rowlands as Mabel, a bored and isolated housewife with an occasionally abusive husband (both verbally and physically) played by Peter Falk. And yet, for about the first two thirds of the film, Influence actually functions as a relatively endearing love story centered around 70s America’s working class. Even though Nick is shown hitting Mabel with a belt towards the end, and even making one or two questionably racist remarks towards the beginning, we actually….kind of like him? It’s clear from the beginning that he more than likely genuinely loves Mabel, and wants to see her be well, but the ultimate disservice to her wellbeing ends up being Nick’s shortcomings about her real “condition”, something also reflected more broadly by the time period the film takes place.

It is my belief that Mabel was not crazy and perfectly mentally healthy at the time of her being committed, making for a much more tragic and morose film than it would otherwise appear at first glance. There are a lot of things both within and outside of the context of the movie itself that support this notion. One of these is one of Nick’s first lines: “She’s not crazy, she’s unusual. She’s not crazy, so don’t say she’s crazy”. In an interview with director John Cassavetes featured on the Criterion Blu ray for the film, he remarks that the ultimate character flaw of Mabel is that she’s not ill but rather incredibly inept and socially awkward. To me, much like The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Influence sheds light on the complications that come with living as somebody who for whatever reason doesn’t quite fit in, whether that’s reflected in family or larger society. If Mabel wasn’t so rough-around-the-edges, would the same tragic course of events have taken place? In addition to this, Cassavetes also remarked that it’s Mabel’s quirky nature and off-center attitude that Nick, the ultimate blue-collar American everyman, is attracted to in the first place. They have a mutual understanding there in their relationship that’s completely misunderstood by everyone else around them. There’s a scene that takes place after Mabel comes back home from the “nuthouse” in which she encounters a man and his wife, and remarks that “I remember you but not her”, despite the fact that she could not have possibly met the two of them at separate occasions. There is no logical way that she would recognize one but not the other, other than that she is incredibly maladjusted and socially inept, and yet, this brief exchange comes across (probably intentionally) as both sad and oddly humorous. There are several moments throughout Influence that match this description. It is my opinion that Mabel is not under the influence of depression, but rather the influence of the American male and an outdated perspective on the human condition. Cassavetes is able to get this message across beautifully without becoming heavy handed or overtly obvious. This is what I mean when I say the film is prophetic. It shines a light on the risk of human assumptions without beating the audience over the head with its message or becoming sentimental or cheap. This is a brutally effective work of art, one that initially took me two or three days to get through just because of how harrowing and raw it is, bolstered heavily on Gena Rowlands legendary and profound Oscar-nominated performance. In fact, I honestly believe it may be the finest performance ever put to film, male or female. It’s seriously that good.

Cassavetes is often referred to as the godfather of American independent cinema, and if you are not familiar with his work, Influence is a fantastic place to start. I promise you won’t regret it.

Image Courtesy Faces Films/Al Ruban Productions

Stay tuned for more reviews from me of his work, including Shadows, Faces, Bookie, Opening Night and Gloria.

Dec.

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Declan Powers

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