Girlfriends

If you like very down to earth films, this one is an absolute must see! Honestly, I have to say that I like this film even a touch more than The Deer Hunter, which in its own right is a great picture, (Both films were released in 1978.). This is low budget arthouse filmmaking at its very best. I'm really not sure why more people haven't seen this film by now, and why it isn't more widely regarded as the great film it truly is. Only a little over 2000 votes on this site and this review, only the 20th ever written on it here. Mindboggling really! Even Stanley Kubrick called this film, "Wonderful.". I for one, couldn't agree more. 8.5/10.

Imagine a Woody Allen movie from the female perspective, without Allen's charm and wit. Imagine also a comedy/drama movie without the comedy element, or something like that. I can't find a better description for this. To be more specific and accurate, this is still a good movie, it's clever, real and honest. Problem is, it's "too real". At times, it looked like a documentary. And there is zero charisma in these actors. Still, one can say that they are real people and prefers it that way. This is a slice of life and anyone who likes 70's, is gonna enjoy it. Human relationships in a 1978 New York. Not something fancy or memorable, not a big love ending on a big tragedy. Just normal people and their struggles. It was ok.

When Susan's housemate gets married and moves out, Susan (Anita Mayron) realizes she's on her own now. At a party, she meets up with "Eric", played by Christopher Guest, in an early role. She's a photographer, taking bar mitzvah pictures to pay the bills. Bob Balaban is in here also, as the husband of the housemate, Anne ( Anita Skinner) . Pretty slow moving. Was expecting a bit more humor or something to jazz it up, but it DOES have a touch of the 70s hippie flare to it. LOTS of talking. Susan talks about everything before and after she does it. Sort of a month in the life of... story. Comparison of single-life versus married life. Some artsy fartsy art gallery commentary. And I love the NYC street scenes. It's very Woody-Allen-Ish. Directed by Claudia Weill, who directed a whole lot of TV stuff. This one was featured as part of the "Women in Film" week on Turner Classics. Some nudity.

The central figure, played by Melanie Mayron, is a photographer sharing a large funky apartment on the Upper West Side of New York with her best girlfriend. The girlfriend suddenly decides to get married to someone she's only recently met & this seems to throw our main character into a period of soul searching. Who is she without her best friend? Can she handle the loneliness? The jealousy?

This film reminds me a lot of the Eric Rohmer films of the 70's & 80's...stylewise, it's very stark. Nothing much happens. But it's the ordinariness of the characters that seems to draw us in. In some ways, this film is too stark...so plain are the cast, so grey is the scenery & sometimes, so mundane the dialogue. But 'Girlfriends' has a warmth & a charm that has always made me remember it. To add to this, the film now has the look and feel of another era, the late 70s, which is now interesting to look at in retrospect.

Fans of 'Thirtysomething', who enjoyed Melanie Mayron's character, Melissa, will especially like this film. There are a number of parallels between the two characters. She alone with her warm smile, crooked teeth and mass of wild hair, brings enormous humanity to the proceedings.

This movie set in 1978, is a wonderful analysis of women's relationships with their friends and how relationships with men can change their relationships with each other. It is subtle and nuanced and emblematic of the independent films of the 1970's.

Claudia Weill was a women who tried to get into that very exclusive circle of directors which are very male. When this movie was made it was considered to be the first of many such independent films by women to try to climb that fortress.

The acting of Amy Wright and Melanie Mayron at the time felt like it wasn't acting at all. Since they were both unknowns, you felt like you were snooping into someone's personal lives rather than watching two actresses go through a script.