We go from Hulu to new releases to recent movies to our pick for the day, which doesn't fit the category, but...
T'be perfectly honest, Hulu isn't the best streaming service for movies. It's certainly great for catching up on recent TV shows, and depending on what they have at the time, I'd say their backlog of shows is better than Netflix's. But they don't have the sheer variety of popular and big name movies you can buy or rent or stream for free on Amazon, or the lesser known but still solid films as Netflix. They've certainly got a lot of movies, but beyond their entries from the Criterion Collection, Hulu's selection is mostly comprised of low-budget, low-effort schlock films that nobody's likely to have ever seen, and even less likely to have enjoyed.
And really, their sorting system is a little weird. I'm not entirely certain how today's film, Another Woman wound up under "recent movies". Maybe it had a rerelease on DVD in the last few years and they decided to stick it there, or maybe whatever algorithm they use to sort all their films just messed up and stuck it there. Either way, I don't really think a 1988 Woody Allen production belongs under the category. I was expecting to hit a cheerleader zombie movie, not a slow drama film about a midlife crisis.
That's really going to be a sticking point with this review. Another Woman is an older movie, aimed at an older audience, with radically different tastes in their dramas than me. I was able to make it through The Cider House Rules because it played by rules I'm more familiar with (constantly advancing story structure, actors I know from other sources, a few more bombastic scenes to break up the understated acting), but this was a difficult one for me. It's a very slow, sort of nebulous film where the events do tie together, but more with their relation to the character than in any kind of traditional structure. I suspect it is a good film, but only if these kind of movies are to your taste, and only if you're already familiar with the works of Woody Allen.
I'm just at a loss of things to say that wouldn't make me out as being disingenuous towards the film. I don't want to say if it's good or bad or even just mediocre - it's just sort've not to my tastes. Still, I watched it, and I feel some obligation to give it a summary and something of a review, so just stick with me while I do my best to give my opinion.
Marion Post has recently started work on a new novel in a private office in upstate New York, and is reasonably happy with her lot in life and the choices she's made. This quickly changes, however, when she discovers she can hear patients in the psychiatrist's office next door through the wall, particularly one woman named Hope, who is suicidally depressed. Her confessions cause Marion to start reevaluating her own life as a series of reunions, divorces, and generally unpleasant conflicts occur amongst her friends and family. As the story progresses, so too does Marion's realization that she's lived a cold, emotionless life, and may not have time to change her course.
The way I worded the last sentence there makes this sound like an incredibly dark movie, but it's more laid-back than you'd expect. That might not be the right term, but it's the best I've been able to think of. Characters have strong emotional reactions to old spouses showing up at a gathering and causing a scene, or being confronted about their regrettable love lives, but for the most part Marion and her peers take it all in stride. These are mature adults in their forties and fifties who have their own lives to manage - they'll bend when necessary so they don't wind up breaking at the wrong time. It's a more mature means of dealing with conflict than I usually see in fiction, and for a while it is nice to watch.
But there is that - "for a while." Another Woman lost me around the halfway point when it became clear it wasn't following a traditional narrative pattern where one event leads naturally into another. Incidents take place, Marion reflects on her life and listens to Hope, on to the next scene. She's the driving force of the film, and most of the events focused on are chosen for their ability to break her down and force her to confront her life. This is, of course, a perfectly valid and legitimate means of telling a story, and insofar as I'm able to tell, it's done rather well. Someone who connects to Marion and empathize with her struggles might get a fair deal of insight out of the film on how to deal with their own challenges and crises.
Unfortunately, I don't empathize with Marion. Not because I don't care about her or her struggles or those in real life who must bear what she bears; rather, I don't empathize because her character, much like the movie's tone and pace, are rather alien to me. Much as the actual film's slower pace and character focused narrative aren't elements I have much experience with, so too are Marion's ordeals and philosophical struggles unfamiliar. The movie feels like it's aimed at an audience who is much more familiar with her midlife regrets and are more likely to nod along and conclude that yes, they HAVE had similar struggles in their life, and it's so very nice to see them put on the big screen. A demographic less personally familiar with those trials and tribulations doesn't seem to be in consideration. Fair enough. Folks deserve to experience stories they can relate to at all points in life, and growing old is no excuse to stop having content produced for you.
It's just not for me.
Blegh. I feel like I'm being too negative here and outing myself as a know-nothing. This is two films now where I've complained about slower pacing and understated acting and called them bad qualities for a movie to work with. The film more than likely does work on its own merits, I'm just not qualified to judge it by those. I'm too young to properly appreciate this film, is all.
Maybe I should just focus on a few things I did enjoy before wrapping up and keeping this one short. No point in constantly digging myself into a hole if I can openly admit I'm digging myself into a hole, after all. The acting was fairly good - I liked several of the characters, and found it easy to believe their struggles. It's always nice to see familiar faces, and Ian Holm did a fairly good turn as Marion's husband. Some of the dream sequences were also nice to watch, and gave the film a good injection of intrigue during the latter half where it started to lose me. And...
...well, that's about it. Again, I'm not the right person to be writing this review. The movie by and large washed over me and didn't leave much of a mark, and it's nobody's fault but my own. The only complaint I can think to raise against is how the ending never shows Marion working to better her life. She's largely broken down, starts to make peace with people in her life, and the film ends on a resolve to do better. It goes against my tastes, but again, it's just that - my tastes. I prefer to see a character built up again after being broken down, and while it's a reasonable direction to take a story (especially if the overall goal is just to examine their psychology during the break), it's not one I like. Not a legitimate complaint, just a matter of taste.
Another Woman is probably a good movie, but also one I more than likely should have worked my way towards watching. If I'd given some of Woody Allen's previous, more critically acclaimed films a watch first, maybe I would've had some appreciation for his style of direction and storytelling and been better equipped to tackle this. As it stands, I jumped straight in, found myself wanting, and have nobody to blame but myself. Give it a look if the ramblings above sound appealing to you, even though I just can't recommend it based on my experience watching.
(Assorted thoughts:
- OK, one thing that DID stand out to me was a bit in the second half where Marion walks into the psychiatrist's office and stands there in the doorway listening to Hope talk about her problems for a while before the doctor dismisses her. The doctor then proceeds to ask Marion what SHE thinks is wrong with Hope, and openly divulges that she's suicidal and might be a lost cause. He takes his next patient, who happens to be Marion's father. Her father hobbles on past her, sits down, and starts talking about all his regrets in life without acknowledging anyone else is even there. The next scene is part of a dream sequence, but the way the movie leads into the bit with the psychiatrist certainly makes it SEEM like it's supposed to be reality, and, well...
- DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY IS, YOU FUCKING QUACK?
- Sorry, that's the psychology major talking, not the armature movie reviewer. But still.
-Gene Hackman was apparently in this and I didn't even notice him.
-I don't know much about Woody Allen, but from what I do know, conversations about having sex on the floor are completely expected out of his films.)
Quick update here, some shit came up in Elena's life and she just wasn't able to get to a review this week. Not sure if she'll be updating next week or anything, but I do know she's still interested in contributing, so just keep following and I'll keep you posted.
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