John Cassavetes is a director who I've really been warming up to in the past year. The first film I saw from him was A Woman Under the Influence, which I enjoyed quite a bit but didn't love it. The next film I saw from him was Shadows, which I enjoyed quite a bit more as I was able to get more of a grasp on his style. The third film I saw from him, Husbands, stuck out to me so much as a great film and, since watching it, the more convinced I am that it's one of the best films I've ever seen and that it'll likely make it on my favorites list once I rewatch it. This film didn't hit me quite as much, but I imagine it will grow on me in the future as it also impressed me a great deal.
The first couple acts feel rather scattered and aimless as they follow the two titular characters around as they go about their daily lives. The first 15-20 minutes are a number of scenes which follow Moskowitz as we get a glimpse into his job, his strange interactions with the various people he runs into, and other activities he does in his spare time while the next 20 or so minutes follow Minnie around as we get to see her go about her day, where we see how her personality greatly differs from that of Moskowitz's. These scenes are connected to each other in really jarring and abrupt cuts to different settings which often stop people in the middle of their sentences or even in the middle of their words (most of these cuts are in this section, as the rest of the film is less aimless by comparison). All of this gives this section of the film a type of fragmented style which occasionally jumps around from place to place. While it may come off as boring to some, I found this usage of bloat to be effective not only for providing an introduction into the lives and the personalities of the two titular characters, but also for serving as an accurate representation of how meandering life usually is. And I always like to see this feel in films, as I did here.
While the first couple acts are certainly strong, the film becomes much greater once Minnie and Moskowitz meet as their relationship is really interesting and really complex. That their relationship persists throughout the film can easily come off as confusing for many people, and understandably so. Moskowitz comes off as crazy in a number of his various actions, he loses his temper multiple times, and he sometimes yells at Minnie for stupid reasons. Later in the film, Minnie tells him that she doesn't love him. In spite of all the conflict he causes her though, she continues to date him. One wonders why she continues to do this in spite of his behavior. I wasn't able to think of a reason for this during my first viewing, but with my second viewing, I paid close attention to the conversation Minnie has with her Mom near the beginning of the film where she confesses to her that she finds it easier to give herself up to men as she grows older. I think that this conversation sums up the following film and their relationship.
It's important to note that Minnie started talking to Moskowitz after the failed luncheon date with Zelmo Swift (who behaved in a similar manner as Moskowitz in the way that he attracted attention in public by yelling a lot and how he'd lose his temper for minuscule reasons or no reason at all). Is her decision to stay with Moskowitz influenced by her conversation with her mother and her experience with Zelmo? The overwhelming reaction I had when I watched the film was that it was. I think her decision to stay with him wasn't because she loved him, but because she chose to give herself up to him. Also relevant to this interpretation, I've seen a number of romance films where the two lovers initially despise each other, but slowly warm up to each other the more time they spend together. This is a really common dynamic and while it happens in this film, I had a feeling that the reason this was in there was to show that Minnie was slowly deciding to give herself up to Moskowitz throughout the film, in spite of his consistent outbursts and clashes with her family members and friends, not that she was falling in love with him.
Overall, this is a really excellent film. Although I initially struggled with it to an extent, I warmed up to it a great deal on my second viewing and I now feel comfortable with calling it a great film. The unique feel of the early couple acts and the complex dynamic between the two leads is what made it stick out to me so much. I still think Husbands is my favorite of his films I've seen as its story resonated with me the most, but this one isn't far behind.
The first couple acts feel rather scattered and aimless as they follow the two titular characters around as they go about their daily lives. The first 15-20 minutes are a number of scenes which follow Moskowitz as we get a glimpse into his job, his strange interactions with the various people he runs into, and other activities he does in his spare time while the next 20 or so minutes follow Minnie around as we get to see her go about her day, where we see how her personality greatly differs from that of Moskowitz's. These scenes are connected to each other in really jarring and abrupt cuts to different settings which often stop people in the middle of their sentences or even in the middle of their words (most of these cuts are in this section, as the rest of the film is less aimless by comparison). All of this gives this section of the film a type of fragmented style which occasionally jumps around from place to place. While it may come off as boring to some, I found this usage of bloat to be effective not only for providing an introduction into the lives and the personalities of the two titular characters, but also for serving as an accurate representation of how meandering life usually is. And I always like to see this feel in films, as I did here.
While the first couple acts are certainly strong, the film becomes much greater once Minnie and Moskowitz meet as their relationship is really interesting and really complex. That their relationship persists throughout the film can easily come off as confusing for many people, and understandably so. Moskowitz comes off as crazy in a number of his various actions, he loses his temper multiple times, and he sometimes yells at Minnie for stupid reasons. Later in the film, Minnie tells him that she doesn't love him. In spite of all the conflict he causes her though, she continues to date him. One wonders why she continues to do this in spite of his behavior. I wasn't able to think of a reason for this during my first viewing, but with my second viewing, I paid close attention to the conversation Minnie has with her Mom near the beginning of the film where she confesses to her that she finds it easier to give herself up to men as she grows older. I think that this conversation sums up the following film and their relationship.
It's important to note that Minnie started talking to Moskowitz after the failed luncheon date with Zelmo Swift (who behaved in a similar manner as Moskowitz in the way that he attracted attention in public by yelling a lot and how he'd lose his temper for minuscule reasons or no reason at all). Is her decision to stay with Moskowitz influenced by her conversation with her mother and her experience with Zelmo? The overwhelming reaction I had when I watched the film was that it was. I think her decision to stay with him wasn't because she loved him, but because she chose to give herself up to him. Also relevant to this interpretation, I've seen a number of romance films where the two lovers initially despise each other, but slowly warm up to each other the more time they spend together. This is a really common dynamic and while it happens in this film, I had a feeling that the reason this was in there was to show that Minnie was slowly deciding to give herself up to Moskowitz throughout the film, in spite of his consistent outbursts and clashes with her family members and friends, not that she was falling in love with him.
Overall, this is a really excellent film. Although I initially struggled with it to an extent, I warmed up to it a great deal on my second viewing and I now feel comfortable with calling it a great film. The unique feel of the early couple acts and the complex dynamic between the two leads is what made it stick out to me so much. I still think Husbands is my favorite of his films I've seen as its story resonated with me the most, but this one isn't far behind.