Review of Love Streams (1984) by Michael L — 20 Jun 2008

The characteristic of Cassavetes' films (or the two that I've seen) that fascinates the most is the mystery of his characters. Gena Rowlands plays her role as the woman who seems to rationalise her insanity, similar to that of A Woman Under the Influence.

The difference in the two roles is that here she seems to have more of an idea of what makes her so "screwed up" - her widespread obsessive love. I've a sneaking suspicion that Rowlands herself is slightly unhinged seeing as she plays the character so naturally through scrunched up face expressions of inner conflict and outward psychotic bursts.

Cassavetes leaves us to decide exactly what is going on in her seemingly indecipherable mind. The character Cassavetes plays (Rowland's brother in the film) is equally as enigmatic: a drunk lost in the midst of sex, alcohol and money who also has a compassionate side to him.

We are lead to believe he does not care for his son but one could argue that he is merely scared of the idea of raising him. We are even exposed to a madness he shares with his sister as he frantically tries to help her take care of the animals in the rain towards the end.

Their love for each other and the connection between them established through similarities in their natures is beautiful. The frenetic ending in the pouring rain shattered me as Cassavetes concludes the film with a final, overwhelming image (see below) of him drunkenly waving away Rowlands and one could say his career altogether (this being his last "proper" film).