Lianna (1983)

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

18 January 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A happily married woman comes to realize herself of being a repressed lesbian after she has an affair with a female college professor, and then tries to come to terms with her newfound lifestyle.

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | Lesbianism | Gay Parent | Lesbian Scene | Female Nudity

Cast

Linda Griffiths	...	Lianna
Jane Hallaren	...	Ruth
Jon DeVries	...	Dick
Jo Henderson	...	Sandy
Jessica MacDonald	...	Theda (as Jessica Wight MacDonald)
Jesse Solomon	...	Spencer
John Sayles	...	Jerry
Stephen Mendillo	...	Bob
Betsy Julia Robinson	...	Cindy
Nancy Mette	...	Kim
Maggie Renzi	...	Sheila
Madelyn Coleman	...	Mrs. Hennessy
Robyn Reeves	...	Job Applicant
Chris Elliott	...	Lighting Assistant
Marta Renzi	...	Dancer

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (DVD rating) | UK:18 (original rating) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Winwood Productions

Trivia:

John Sayles had written the screenplay for this film before writing the screenplay for his debut film, _Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)_. Sayles failed to get funding for a film about a lesbian love affair in the 1970s, and those who felt comfortable with the material were not comfortable with the film being directed by a man. So, Sayles put the Lianna screenplay on hold until gaining success with his two first films, Return of the Secaucus 7 and Baby It's You (1983).

Quotes:

[Upon finding her thirteen-year-old son's porno stash, right after finding that he was awake all night]
Lianna: My God, he's had an orgy.

Movie Connections:

References The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Soundtrack:

Nevertheless I'm in Love With You

One of Sayles' very best films

Sayles' second feature as director, and his first great film. It's not perfect, has its share of clichés and is certainly dated, but it's wonderful. Linda Griffiths stars as Lianna, a young mother of two who is constantly suffering under her smarter, controlling husband, a film professor (Jon DeVries). Lianna doesn't have much of a life, but she manages to sneak in a night class twice a week. She develops what seems to be a non-romantic crush on her professor (Jane Hallaren). When her husband cheats on her, the relationship with her professor changes to a sexual one. It would be easy to hold the fact that Sayles is a man against the movie. However, Sayles does here what he does best: create strong, identifiable characters for whom we care. Lianna is really one of the best developed characters I can remember. I absolutely love the way Sayles makes her intellectually inferior to both her husband and lover. It gives her struggle a lot of weight. And I love the line she says to her husband: "Just because you can argue better doesn't mean you are right." She breaks my heart. The power structure between her and her husband is brilliantly written. I also liked that Sayles creates a new power structure, and not one wholly different from the marriage, between Lianna and her lesbian lover. My only complaint is that Sayles does sometimes treat Hallaren's character too kindly. She's clearly taking advantage of Lianna, and at times she's clearly treating her badly. In fact, the relationship starts exactly the same way as the relationship between Lianna and her husband. She was once his student, as well. The parallel isn't underlined as well as it should have been. I think Linda Griffith's performance here is one of the best ever. It's a tragedy that she didn't become famous after this. I know that Sayles isn't the greatest director (specifically referring to the direction) in the world, but this is some of his best work on that front (his very best is certainly Matewan). Of course his greatest talent is his writing; he is such a remarkable writer of human interrelationships. Sayles also gives his best performance as an actor in this film. Lianna is such a subtle work of human emotion. It really doesn't have any big moments, and it doesn't end with any clear resolution. The film's power only hit me about 20 minutes after it was over. It's a small masterpiece.