Movie

A Woman Under the Influence

1974 · 155 min

A raw, emotionally draining immersion into a fragile woman's unraveling and a marriage under unbearable strain, naturalistic and deeply uncomfortable.

Directed by: John Cassavetes
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper

Tagline: A woman of today, her world, her passions.
Overview: Mabel Longhetti, desperate and lonely, is married to a Los Angeles municipal construction worker, Nick. Increasingly unstable, especially in the company of others, she craves happiness, but her extremely volatile behavior convinces Nick that she poses a danger to their family and decides to commit her to an institution for six months. Alone with a trio of kids to raise on his own, he awaits her return, which holds more than a few surprises.

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Directed by: John Cassavetes
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 3 of 3
melancholicstrength 3 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
family
isolation
love
madness
Places: big city
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	2
Humour	3
Realism	9
Romance	4
Tension	8
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	9

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: drama, romance
Directed by: John Cassavetes
Written by: John Cassavetes
Starring: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands, Katherine Cassavetes, Matthew Labyorteaux, Matthew Cassel, Christina Grisanti
Music: Bo Harwood
Cinematography: Mitch Breit, Al Ruban
Runtime: 155 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, Italian

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A Woman Under the Influence

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