The last movie Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes made together is an eccentrically beautiful, painful piece about an emotionally numb writer (Cassavetes) broken out of his self-imposed exile by the unexpected arrival of a son he doesn’t know, and then a sister he hasn’t seen in years (Rowlands). The movie has a valedictory feel, and reworks tropes from several of the filmmaker’s earlier movies. Rowlands’ character, Sarah, has elements in common with Mabel in A Woman Under the Influence. But the film is also free, quirky, and unpredictable; something to be discovered.
John Cassavetes’ career of risk taking comes to a climax in this rich, original, emotionally magnificent 1984 film.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
John Cassavetes
Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Seymour Cassel, Diahnne Abbott, Jakob Shaw
USA
1984
English
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Screenwriter
Ted Allan, John Cassavetes
Cinematography
Al Ruban
Editor
George C. Villaseñor
Original Music
Bo Harwood
Also in This Series
Dedicated to one of the most inspiring and influential American actresses of the past half century, this series showcases the versatility and star power that was Gena Rowlands.
Faces
Ten years after his landmark debut, Shadows, John Cassavetes returned to the indie model, self-financing this wrenching portrait of the sexual mores and miseries of American middle class. Gena Rowlands is luminous as Jeannie, the film's emotional barometer.
A Woman Under the Influence
Gena Rowlands is extraordinary in this painful and compassionate trial of love, the most intense and essential movie from legendary independent filmmaker John Cassavetes. "The toughest of all great American films." Kent Jones
Minnie and Moskowitz
John Cassavetes' deliciously witty take on Hollywood romance is a modern screwball comedy, a mismatched love story between a car park attendant (Seymour Cassel) and a museum administator (Gena Rowlands) who believes herelf to be too good for him.
Gloria
Gena Rowlands was nominated for Best Actress for her portrait of gangster's moll Gloria Swenson: a tough, chain-smoking broad who finds herself running from her former friends in the mob to protect her next door neighbour's orphaned six-year-old kid.
Love Streams
The last movie Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes made together is an eccentrically beautiful, painful piece about a writer (Cassavetes) broken out of his self-imposed exile by the arrival of a son he doesn't know, and a sister he hasn't seen in years.
