Woman Under the Influence, A (1974)
“Mabel is not crazy; she’s unusual.”
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Synopsis: |
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Review:
What I was most curious about upon this second viewing — much later in my life, now that (like Mabel) I’ve had three kids of my own, and learned a lot more about both the burdens and joys of motherhood — was to get a better sense of what, exactly, Mabel was “under the influence” of. (This remains hotly debated; check out Reddit for robust discussions.) In the opening scene, while dealing with disappointment that her husband Nick (Falk) can’t make it home for a specially planned evening together, she acts out through drinking and dallying.
At this point, we feel sorry for hardworking Nick, who’s stuck in a laborious overnight shift and dreads disappointing his wife. However, when he proceeds to bring home his entire crew the following morning for socializing — rather than returning alone, apologizing, and doing what he can to make things up to Mabel — we begin to see that his coping responses aren’t exactly healthy, either.
Adding to Mabel’s stress is Nick’s overbearing mother (played by Cassavetes’ real-life mom, Katherine Cassavetes), who doesn’t hesitate to share her true feelings: “[My son] says you give him nothing! You’re empty inside! Your children are naked! They’re hungry!”
Adding to her living nightmare is the presence of a seemingly kind but insistent doctor (Eddie Shaw) determined to shoot her up with sedatives and take her away from her beloved kids.
Meanwhile, we’re also given stronger indications of Nick’s racism and short temper, particularly during a harrowing work-site scene depicting his Mexican colleague tumbling down a ledge after Nick yells at him.
Is Nick a MAN “under the influence”? Yes, he clearly is — but, as a (white) male, he also gets to make the decisions in his spheres of influence. He drags his kids to the beach for a requisite family outing, not only failing to have a fun time with them, but giving his boys beer in the back of a truck on their way home.
The final harrowing scenes take place six months later, back at their home (filmed in “a slightly run-down house on Taft Avenue, just off Hollywood Boulevard”), where Nick has inexplicably invited seemingly everyone he knows (and then some) to his house in anticipation of celebrating Mabel’s arrival back from her enforced hospitalization.
In truth, Nick doesn’t actually WANT to be left alone with his wife — despite the fact that this (and being with her kids) is all she wants after being gone for so long. Meanwhile, Nick repeatedly implores her to “Just be yourself — be yourself!”, yet doing just that is precisely what got her put away. Talk about a double-bind. Mabel pleads with her clueless father (Fred Draper) to “just stand up” for her, but he literally has no idea what she means by this, and is thus yet another unreliable male figure in her life. (My daughter told me this was the most heartbreaking scene of all for her.)
In the film’s final unnerving moments, their house is mostly empty and Nick and Mabel are co-habitating once again, but can’t stop moving, working, cleaning… Will they be able to repair things? At the very least (as Falk pointed out in a later interview reflecting back on the film), his character doesn’t pick up the phone while it’s ringing — thus presumably ignoring his mom, for awhile. It’s a start.
Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book. (Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
