Another Woman (1988)

Genre

Drama

Director

Woody Allen

Country

USA

Cast

Gena Rowlands, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, Betty Buckley, John Houseman, Sandy Dennis, Frances Conroy, Philip Bosco, Martha Plimpton, Harris Yulin, Gene Hackman, David Ogden Stiers

Storyline

Facing a midlife crisis, a woman (Gena Rowlands) rents an apartment next to a psychiatrist's office to write a new book, only to become drawn to the plight of a pregnant woman (Mia Farrow) seeking that doctor's help.

Opinion

With prominent Bergmanesque influences, "Another Woman" is a delicate, intimate and profound drama.

Woody Allen's third serious serious film after "Interiors" and "September", the film deals with the theme of existentialism, posing us many questions about existence itself, and making us reflect on the difficulties of dialogue with our own consciousness and the damage this lack of dialogue will probably, certainly lead to.

Woody Allen takes us on a journey that goes from childhood to present moment, the dreaded midlife crisis, and he does it with unusual stringent tones, and with the help of the narrative voice of the protagonist. It will be a sorrowful journey that brings out all the lies Marion tells herself before anyone else, lies that forced her to an unhappy life. Only by accepting to reveal herself to herself and looking inside of her will give her another opportunity. 

In this film can be found most of the elements presents in other Allen's films - the upper Manhattan intellectuals and dysfunctional relationships -, but there's something missing, the laughs. Like I said before, this is a very serious matter, and therefore there is no place for Allen's usually nervous, neurotic characters. 

One good reason to watch "Another Woman" is Gena Rowlands. First, her narration is very easy and pleasing to listen to. Second, she gives an excellent performance as Marion. She manages to capture every nuance of the character, and her performance doesn't feel forced at all: she is so natural it almost looks like she's playing herself. Significantly overshadowed by Rowland's performance, the rest of the cast also does a good job.

Mention-Worthy Quotes

Marion: I closed the book, and felt this strange mixture of wistfulness and hope, and I wondered if a memory is something you have or something you've lost. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.

Anomalisa (2015)

Genre

Animation | Comedy | Drama

Directors

Charlie Kaufman | Duke Johnson

Country

USA

Voice Cast

David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan

Storyline

Crippled by the mundanity of his life, self-help author Michael Stone (David Thewlis) experiences something out of the ordinary.

Opinion

After the unfortunate distribution of "Synecdoche, New York", Charlie Kaufman and his unconventional works have found nothing but closed doors. That's why he, and his team, decided to raised the film's budget on Kickstarter so as to "produce this unique and beautiful film outside of the typical Hollywood studio system where we believe that you, the audience, would never be allowed to enjoy this brilliant work the way it was originally conceived". The goal was to make something pure, something beautiful, and that's' exactly what they did.

"Anomalisa" is a brilliant, very original, intriguing and thought-provoking dramedy on depression and loneliness that could have originated from the mind of Charlie Kaufman only.

The film is extremely simple, yet extremely complex and, in a short amount of time - 90 minutes only - it manages to provoke a thought about the dilemmas brought by midlife crisis in a society where individuality is completely nullified.

From the very first minutes the viewer begins to wonder why all the characters except the protagonist have the same voice and the same inflection, whether men, women or children. The story gives us the answer, as we face the story of a man in existential crisis that feels surrounded by a world made up of identical people. 

The name of the hotel at which Michael Stone is staying - Fregoli Hotel - is not random at all. In fact, the Fregoli delusion is a disorder in which a person has a delusional belief that different people are actually a single individual who changes appearance to persecute him. And that's the exact portrayal of the protagonist.

But then there's Lisa, the anomaly. She is something new, something different, something extraordinary, and her voice, so sweet and cuddly, represents a change in Michael's life, finally opening his eyes.

Technically speaking, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson directed a sad story with a lot of sensitivity. The stop-motion animation is brilliantly done and deserves to be praised because obviously a lot of work and effort was put into it.

And lastly, all the characters are brought to life by excellent voice work from David Thewlis (Michael Stone), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Lisa) and Tom Noonan (everybody else).

Definitely a must-see for the Kaufman lovers. And don't let you trick by the animation, this is not a film for kids.

Our time is limited, we forget that. - Michael Stone