Trawick Reviews

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Awesomely powerful

[10/10 · 22 December 1999]

This is probably one of the most intense films ever made, but to label it "intense" is to almost do it injustice. After all, almost all of the greatest works of art are intense, aren't they?

Although it is quite possible to find certain themes that run through this work, the movie almost seems to resist themes. Within its two-and-a-half hour running time, John Cassavetes touches on some of the most indescribable emotional states that human beings ever experience.

Technically, the film is equally excellent, with a nice minimalist score by Bill Harwood, softly beautiful cinematography, and fascinating editing. But all of this is merely in service of the brilliant performances by Rowlands, Falk, and the rest of the cast.

The War Zone (1999)

Well acted, but ...

[15 December 1999]

The War Zone was primarily interesting for the rather idiosyncratic acting, especially by Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe as a pair of dysfunctional siblings, one of whom is being sexually molested by her father. The problem is, it always seems that the acting is a couple of steps ahead of the story, which explains why the seemingly withdrawn characters are remarkably verbal about their difficulties.

As "daring" as the War Zone may seem to be, I can't help but feel it hasn't ever REALLY departed from certain Hollywood formulas. For example, notice how very Hitchcockian Tim Roth's approach to the relationship between the father and daughter is. Instead of dealing with the abuse head-on, Roth (and scriptwriter Stuart) shows everything from the detached perspective of the brother, virtually eliminating the chance for the audience to try to understand the father's insane behavior better. Really, the layering of suspense really achieves the same hazy, erotic effect as Hitchcock's Vertigo, which I find rather innappropriate given the subject matter. When Cunliffe follows and spies upong his sister around the British seaside, it is virtually no different from Jimmy Stewart stalking Kim Novak through the streets of San Franciso. In other words, the audience is so on the edge of the seat about what happens next that they never get a chance to settle down and examine this film as a work of art.

Even the ending, which is supposedly very open-ended, has a Hollywood feeling of conclusion. The crashing waves and the booming score indicate a style far more similar to Spielberg and Coppola than true neo-realists like Cassavetes or Rosselini. Speaking of which, if you really want to seen an "intense," opaque filmgoing experience, rent "A Woman Under the Influence" or "Killing of a Chinese Bookie." Those films are REALLY challengingly and truly make you squirm, not simply because of the taboo sexual matter, but because of their overwhelming profundity. Something, which, unfortunately, the War Zone is lacking.