Review of Fear of Fear (1975) by Sean F — 10 Nov 2003

You should be able to add more than one rating for each type of thing. Ah well.

[b]A Woman under the Influence[/b] - [font=Garamond][font=Verdana][size=2]There?s no denying the power and energy of Gena Rowlands? performance, or the sheer worn authenticity of the characters and their surroundings. What there is denying is that this film is interesting or engaging. The Netflix sleeve (god help me) stressed how Cassavettes?s films remove the level of abstraction and result in films that are not about experiences, but are the actual experiences themselves. That might interest me in some instances, but watching these irrational, boorish people isn?t one of them. [b]48[/b][/size][/font][/font].

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[font=Garamond][font=Verdana][size=2][b]Ali: Fear Eats the Soul[/b] - [/size][/font][font=Verdana][size=2]A simple melodrama full of enough flourishes and wit to elevate the material into something genuinely affecting. I especially enjoyed the way Fassbinder used the camera to repeatedly segregate the cast, usually to keep Emmi and Ali apart from onlookers, but also to separate Emmi from gossiping co-workers and neighbors (and ironically, later to include Emmi in the excluding group). The feelings of injustice that well up do so because the central relationship between Emmi and Ali is so winning. Later emotional episodes are more confusing for the viewer, as the allegiances he or she has formed are no longer so cut and dry, but that's still authentic, and the film's conclusion is honest and cathartic. [b]83[/b][/size][/font].

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