As the credits of 'All That Heaven Allows' rolled I couldn't help but feel, underwhelmed. I thought some of the acting was stiff, many camera movements jarring, and the handsome white superseducer tried and boring; and for the most part I still do, so what changed in those hours after the credits?
For one I realised something I didn't during the run, it's a huge subversion of female representation in cinema. It's something I should have picked up on during the viewing, but I'm glad I didn't.
It leads me to my next point.
Details. Every gesture, every word, every thought is drowning in subtext that you only begin to understand after taking the previous gesture word or thought into account. Longer than average shots give you time to digest this.
Longer than average shot length reveals the intricate set design and representative colours. The focus on modern expansion vs the comfort of the past with a cozy fireplace and fluffy blankets in the woods is huge and reveals a lot, not only of Cary & Ron, but American society as well.
As 'All That Heaven Allows' folds out before you, you can feel the characters - & the United States - dancing around the soul issues of any given situation, they all prance around what is difficult.... All? Not all, one small village still holds out against the invaders; that village is Mrs. Mona Plash, abruptly cutting to the soul issue of any given situation, generally Cary and subsequently the ridiculous, confusing, unfair expectations placed upon women.
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