Review of Interiors (1978) by Eric F — 20 Oct 2008

Although i've only recently become a fan of Woody Allen's work over the past year or so, i've noticed that quite a few of his films touch on the exact same note. There's nothing remarkably different about several of his pictures - heck, even this film, "Interiors", is echoed frequently in "Hannah and Her Sisters". The thing is, however, that the Allen formula of sexually-driven dialogue in Manhattan is always appealing. In "Interiors", when Allen ventures far out into different territory in terms of tone, he loses some of that charm and is left with a cold, dry picture. Is it enormously engrossing with some wonderful performances and minimalist yet brilliant cinematography? Sure. But there's such a disappointing lack of heart that I was left feeling as depressed and unfulfilled as the characters represented on the screen.

In "Interiors", we're introduced to Eve (Geraldine Page), an interior designer with an extremely shaky and loveless marriage. Her husband, Arthur (E.G. Marshall), an ex-lawyer, has suggested a temporary split so transparent that Eve knows it'll mean the end of the marriage for good. Eve has three daughters: Renata (Diane Keaton), an accomplished poet married to the self-destructive novelist, Frederick (Richard Jordan), Joey (Mary Beth Hurt), the youngest sibling who still lives at home and is involved with Mike (Sam Waterston), and Flyn (Kristin Griffith), a television actress who is absent for the majority of the picture. Although the lives of the daughters have drifted off into their own very different ways, it's clear that there's a part of their mother left in each of them. Unfortunately, that piece seems to be an unwillingness to inability to communicate.

Eve's life comes crashing down at an even higher velocity when her husband returns from Europe with Pearl (Maureen Stapleton), an extremely bold personality that we perceive as quite stubborn and fairly, well, stupid. When the daughters and their men discuss something they've seen and it's intricate morale dilemmas, Peal doesn't look far beyond "the bad guy is the one who snitches". Arthur reveals his intentions to wed Pearl having only known her a month, and he and the daughters are fully aware that this news will crush Eve.

If the subject matter sounds awfully dreary, that's because it is. There's a small hint of dark humor here and there, but the majority of the film is very quiet, somber, and brooding. The characters, who often longingly stare out the windows of their dry and colorless apartment, are all secluded people who have gotten to a point of complete emotional wreckage. "Interiors" not only refers to interior decoration, but also that these characters are reserved and bottle up just about everything inside. It's a film about distance, neverending despair, and an ultimate seclusion in an urban setting.

Allen's work can typically be perceived as fairly self-indulgent since his characters are highly intellectual and talk in an unnatural matter, but this is perhaps the only film of his that i'd consider pretentious at all. Critics hailed this as Allen's homage to one of his heroes, Ingmar Bergman, however it comes off as a shoddy knockoff. It hits on all the right notes and Allen has a very good understanding of these characters, however for whatever reason it all comes off as so forced and shallow. This was fairly satisfying due to performances and some writing, but it very much leaves you empty.

The two best performances were both nominated for Oscars, and those are Geraldine Page and Maureen Stapleton. Pearl is introduced as a completely clueless and uncultured woman who prefers lounging on the beach over seeing some "boring" ruins. Although the characters here are all fairly cliche, Pearl may be one of the more fully-functional character in the film, and she does show a bit of growth from her introduction to the climax. Geraldine's job is essentially to look hopeless and depressed throughout the picture, but she's talented enough to not bore us. Although the subject matter here doesn't entirely hit home, we do feel sympathy for Eve.

This was quite disappointing and a weaker effort from Allen. That being said, it's still fairly good and worth seeing if only for it's performances.