032 - Faces, 1968, United States. Dir. John Cassavetes.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

032 - Faces, 1968, United States.  Dir. John Cassavetes.

Faces is another 16-mm grainy black-and-white experimental film from John Cassavetes.  It requires concentration to watch it.  The scenes consist of people hanging out, drinking, singing, interacting, and engaged in laughter.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of empty, hollow laughter.

The plot is simple.  You might say it nearly follows the classic unities of time, place, and action.  It takes place in the course of one night, in about three or four locations, with people doing a lot of the same things.

A man stops at a prostitute's place on his way home from work.  She and her roommate and some men are there.  He joins them in hanging out and drinking and laughing.  Then he goes home and he and his wife hang out and drink and laugh.  Then he announces he wants a divorce.  He goes back to the woman and her friends and they hang out and drink and laugh, while his wife goes out with her friends and they bring home a man, and they all hang out and drink and laugh.

Everyone is miserable.

The hanging out and drinking and laughing is a cover for their empty lives.

We get it.

Apparently in 1968 this was a revelation.

In 2017 it is a cliché.

On December 19, 1968, Roger Ebert published a lovely review of this movie.  When you read his review, you will want to watch the movie.  When you watch the movie, you will wonder what happened to his review.

Maybe he was watching a different movie.

Or maybe he just lived in a different time.

Or maybe I am just being unfair.

I felt I understood the sermon after a few minutes and did not need more than two hours to drive the point home.

In some ways it feels as though we are watching The Cassavetes-Lane Drama Workshop Showcase.

The actors are given situations, and they are exploring their characters and relationships within those imaginary given circumstances.  They are doing good, authentic work.  They are having an improvisational feast.

The young Seymour Cassel is especially exceptional in his performance.

But the others are great as well.

But did you press play to watch an Improv Showcase?  Or to watch a movie?

Would you watch this film in a movie theatre?  Or in a film school?

How about a museum.

Or maybe a time capsule.

At some point I'll give it another try.  I'm sure it will grow on me.