A Woman Under the Influence (1974, John Cassavetes)

A Woman Under the Influence takes off unconventionally, as we discern a bunch of workers walking in a muddy area. Subsequently, the drama shifts to the Longhetti family dynamics and sets off the tone for an intoxicating conveyance, inoculated with raw energy in a traumatically charged descent into madness.

Cassavetes is rightfully known as the iconoclastic maverick, being an independent filmmaker with loads of limitations on his side doesn't jeopardize his ambitions as he dabbles a masterstroke by centring his film mostly in indoor spaces. Cassavetes with absolute minimalism weaves together an exemplum, with a character study at its core using a volatile woman to give an insight into the archaic patriarchal alliance that's been plaguing the world since time immemorial.

Gena Rowlands at the peak of her acting abilities showcases countless sensations and moods which changes every second. Her body language exhibits apprehension, compassion, insanity and seductiveness concurrently in what is arguably the greatest performance committed to celluloid by a woman. Her face epitomises the magnificence of acting, if I may say so.

The camerawork in A Woman Under the Influence makes it a riveting watch. Cassavetes relies mostly on subtle and minute movements, and leaves the camera in a stagnant mode for the preponderance of the runtime. Cassavetes uses some distinctive footage shot in home video kind of filmmaking to give the much needed intimate awareness and also reflect the dizziness brewing inside Gena's character.

The film also feels unusual and mostly there's a personal feeling lingering. Even amidst its chaos, at times it feels like there's no camera in motion, and all we're undergoing is nothing but life behind closed doors suspended in time, looking for a way to wither away the domestic turbulence.

Altogether, the real-life couple of Cassavetes and Rowlands churn out a nerve-wrackingly beautiful and poignant experience, which is more like A Woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown rather than A Woman Under the Influence.