A Woman Under the Influence story
A Woman Under the Influence is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and family. It received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Director. In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", one of the first fifty films to be so honored.
14 total · 2 choice · 5 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| coping with a problematic family member | choice | everyone were struggling to figure out how they should act around Mabel because of her odd behavior |
| institutionalizing a loved one | choice | the story pivoted on Nick's decision, seemingly with support from the rest of the family, to have Mabel committed once she started to be dangerously eccentric |
| alcohol abuse | major | there was frequent allusion to drinking, and bouts of excessive drinking, which certainly cause some problems |
| dealing with children | major | we saw a lot of parenting of varied quality |
| husband and wife | major | Nick and Mabel |
| mother-in-law and daughter-in-law | major | Nick's mother was rather cruel to Mabel |
| parent and child | major | both Nick and Mabel with their three children - the kids had very presence |
| coping with having a headache | minor | Mabel had bad headaches, we heard |
| dancing | minor | Mabel's fascination with dancing came out during her mental illness episodes. |
| father-in-law and son-in-law | minor | Nick had brief exchanges with Mabel's father towards the end |