catebaum

Watching this in 2024, I wonder if it will be seen in a more feminist light. Mabel is a stay-at-home mum of three small children that she fiercely loves but her nerves are brought to an edge by Nick's work life, rough friends, drinking, shouting, and lack of care for her feelings when his mother butts in extremely aggressively. Nick is presented as a stressed and sympathetic husband suffering with his wife's mental illness, but in reality, his yelling and slapping as well as his overly jealous behaviour hems in his fun-loving, imaginative wife who clearly should be doing something creative with her days and with a more sensitive man. It's a clever film, because it's not clear if Cassavetes knew that he was writing in this grey area. I'd love a remake in a way, but in another way, the performances are so amazing here that maybe it's not worth it. A strangely upsetting film but very much worth a watch for the craft of it.