The wonderful marriage between Mabel and her husband is on the edge of breaking because of Mabel's madness. Her madness is a challenge to their marriage, their love, their patience. Can they overcome this or their marriage will break. Let's come to the film
John Cassavetes was one of those rare artists of whom it could be said that his flaws were his strengths, and his strengths were his flaws...Consequently, the film has to rank somewhere between the two in the Cassavetes canon, and I'd opt for putting it c
Falk and Rowlands -- in performances of almost indescribable intensity -- detail a marriage anchored by love, but tossed by the expectations of others and the unpredictable swell of madness.
The most frightening scenes are extremely compelling, and this is a thoughtful film that does prompt serious discussion.
ColeSmithey.com
April 11, 2009
Gena Rowlands gives a career-defining tour de force performance that is a pinnacle of film-acting in an earth-shattering film that is unlike any other ever made.
A insightful essay on sexual politics: Rowlands is terrific as a housewife who crosses the line into sanity. With a light feminist touch, she is perceived as a victim of repressive patriarchal order.
Despite the fact that there's a lot of technique on display here, the film still described as cinéma vérité, which I suppose is a testament to how raw and emotional it all feels.
