MUBI

One of the most brilliantly made films I have ever seen. It is a film that challenges all films, especially those that were made in Hollywood that relied on the names of superstar actors and actresses. Cassavetes throws all conventions out the window and gives us a film with real, visceral characters that stab us in our hearts and reveal to us the all-too-real idea that we can be unhappy even when we think we have everything we desire. The camera brings us into these people’s lives, thrusting us into the faces of these characters then pushing us into the background for us to peruse everything we have just witnessed. This is a film that must be watched again and again to remind us that we can all reach that pinnacle of precarious unhappiness.

(a discussion with berjuan)

Firstly, I loved the concept. The story revolves around disillusioned and alienated members of middle class America; a businessman contemplating his clockwork existence, an ennui-stricken housewife (or maybe she works) who seeks new meaning in her life. Essentially, they realise that they are cogs in the system yet they cannot escape. This is a very powerful theme and setting for me as Singapore is another strongly capitalistic society, and becoming one of those businessman in the future is exactly what I fear.

Also, at the moment the system breaks down for the protagonist and his wife, their marriage also dissipates because of this desire to break free from social expectations and conventions. However, we realise that because of the nature of the system, this is impossible. The protagonist attempts to qualm his desire by meeting Jeannie, but eventually, she is just a prostitute who is also trapped in the system, and is unable to help me get out of it. Simultaneously, the wife tries to bend the weight of social expectations by breaking out of it and going to a nightclub where people of her age group do not belong. Although she does progress somewhere, eventually she is unable to handle the insecurity that breaking out of such a system entails and tries to overdoes on sleeping pills.

Secondly, the camerawork was really something else. Uncomfortable zooms into faces, acrobatic handheld shots (that are never nauseating unlike Dancer in the Dark) along with a poignant and subtle sense of beauty amidst the jarring ugliness of the shot derived from its content. This is truly fantastic cinematography.

Thirdly, after watching a few interviews and reading the essays in the booklet, I have come to admire John Cassavetes greatly. The strong independence and determination he possesses in constructing his truly independent film that knocks almost everything else out of the park (even great films like Sunset Blvd.) is really something else. Somehow Cassavetes managed to escape the system and run away from the dense pretty face mould that Hollywood was about to smash him into. Cassavetes truly had the means of becoming a great Hollywood actor if he wanted to (the face mostly) but he decided to follow his heart and express ideas important to him instead.

Another thing is that he made Faces as though he was producing a play. First they began with countless readings, then countless blocking sessions and when it came to filming, it was just like the opening night of a play, except that there were now cameras. The dedication it takes to make a film this way is astounding and as someone who has dabbled in theatre, I find a role model in Cassavetes.

Fourthly, the acting was truly fantastic. Typically I do not care about acting, and I even let Visconti’s The Damned slip by (one character says a really campy line to his mother, but maybe Visconti was not used to making films in English or whatever other excuse I can think off). But in Faces, you cannot help but notice the brilliance of the acting. All the actors contribute fantastic performances of their blatantly heavily rehearsed, staged and developed characters, so much so that you suspect the actors are playing themselves, genuinely believing their characters.

Evidently, this is a fantastic film. Truly fascinating and definitely at a whole different level than Faces.

My favorite Cassavetes film. Completely blew me away the first time I saw it. This movie has probably the most realistic characters I have ever seen in a movie…ever. You feel like you are watching real people unfold right in front of you, and it never crosses your mind that most of these people are actors. It’s a rollercoaster ride, plain and simple built entirely on the wants and desires of the characters depicted. It’s almost tragic to watch some of them try their hardest and fail, or maybe get what they thought they wanted only to think that perhaps death could be the answer to it all. You will feel different after watching this, trust me.

Structurally, this is a longer, more seemingly-improvised successor to Shadows. The images are crisp and stunning in a harsh way thanks to Ruban’s camera work; I feel this is crucial to, what some would say, “enduring” this piece. The subject matter may only make it more difficult – and it’s told in the only way Cassavetes knew how. It progresses into one huge hangover and the faces eventually reveal themselves to be facades. If you’re familiar with Cassavetes, you probably know what to expect. If you’re not, it’s a matter of whether or not you’re in the mood for a hard drink.

The first time I watched this film I didn’t get it. I liked it and I knew it was something special. I also knew, somewhere deep, that it was disturbing. I let it sit for a while and then went back to it. It was the laughter, particularly John Marley’s laugh. It wasn’t laughter because of something funny. No, the whole film everyone is laughing. If they don’t laugh, they’ll cry. This film drips with pain and lost— if you get my meaning. This film is heartbreaking on many levels, perhaps the most heartbreaking is watching Seymour Cassel turn down the older woman, her last hope, maybe?

They don’t get much darker than this one. An amazing film, truly stellar.