A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

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Indie maverick John Cassavetes examines a family under the stress of mental illness in A Woman Under the Influence. Cassavetes regulars Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands (his real-life wife) star as the parents of three children whose family is put to the test when Falk has Rowlands institutionalized for insanity. After six months of therapy and shock treatment, the matriarch returns — but will she return to being the wife and mother they need her to be, or is she still ‘ill’?

Cassavetes (Shadows, Love Streams) does not spoon-feed his audience with any film. With A Woman Under the Influence, he opens up the possibility — for me, at least — that Rowlands’ character isn’t ill at all. What if she’s just a bit eccentric and aloof? Falk’s character seems to have rigid expectations of how she should behave in front of friends and family — so much so, that maybe he’s the sick one. Diagnoses aside, Cassavetes implements his trademark documentary style of filmmaking that makes the dialogue feel entirely improvised, and the camera’s lens lucky to be in the right place at the right time for us to play voyeurs in this troubled family’s affairs.

Rowlands and Falk give outstanding performances playing characters that spin increasingly out of control. Rowlands is especially heartbreaking to me, like she’s always trying to muffle a primal scream. Upon her return home from the institution, with extended family seated at dinner and Falk berating her to ‘be yourself’ and ‘act normal,’ she looks at her father and timidly asks him to stand up for her. The events that transpire afterwards are somewhat open to interpretation and rich for after-movie conversation.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress (Rowlands), Director (Cassavetes)