I have a weird relationship with A Woman Under the Influence. On the one hand I have always heard it as a seminal classic of indie filmmaking, but on the other my first exposure to its actual content was that bit in I’m Thinking of Ending Things where the main character begins reciting Pauline Kael’s incendiary and iconic review in regards to it. No, this isn’t going to be a Kael roast party, that would be a waste of everyone’s time. I just need to set the scene here.

I’ve been working my way through Cassavetes filmography - so far with Shadows, Faces and Husbands. All of which I liked more and more with each passing entry. A Woman Under the Influence is my favorite of his that I’ve seen yet! That doesn’t mean I think it’s a perfect movie, which has drawn the ire of a good friend of mine who holds this film very close to their heart.

I should be the type of person to think this movie is an untouchable masterpiece that cannot be surpassed by mankind, but it’s not quite there for me. I just feel like something is missing. As much as the movie hits I think it could use a little bit of editing. I was never taken out by the length, but by the end I felt there were ten minutes somewhere in there that was just keeping this from being perfect. As it stands, Rowlands and Falk are incredible in the film. Something that confused me about it is its structure. Many plot synopses of the film make it seem like Mabel spends most of the run time in an institution while Nick is home alone with the kids, when in reality that’s only a small portion. It’s strange that the film has been reworked to be from Nick’s perspective about his struggles when it is very much about Mabel. That says something, but I’m not sure what.