A woman under the influence was made in 1974, directed by John Cassavetes, and stars Gena Rowlands as Mabel Longhetti and peter falk as Nick Longhetti. It has a relatable and artistic theme that was accurate during the time period of the early 70s. It had 3 nominees and won a golden globe in 1975 for best actress (Gena Rowlands) in a motion picture and 2 Oscar nominees for the academy awards for best actress in a leading role and for best director in 1975. Plus numerous amounts of other wins and nominee awards such as  New York Film Critics Circle Awards in 1974, National Board of Review, USA in1974, Writers Guild of America, USA in 1975, and the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 1975 where they won three awards including best actress. The trailer suggests it was an award-winning movie with amazing actors who told a realistic story.

A Women Under the Influence is about a lonely housewife in L.A. who is desperate to please her family and is continually dealing with her struggling conflict of being on the line of mental illness and depression. And after spending six months in rehab, recommended by her husband, she comes back to the same difficulties as before, just without the alcohol to keep her company.

This movie was truly a revelation on human behavior and what influences these behaviors. In an interview with peter falk and Gena Rowlands, they discuss john Cassavetes view of directing and I think it relates to a woman under the influence in an eye-opening way.

It was intriguing to see how dealing with alcohol, mental health issues, and a family would affect Mabel Longhetti.  Mabel’s influences only gradually reveal themselves. And as they do, they give us insights not only into a specific woman but into some of the problems of surviving in a society where very few people are fully liberated. She tries too hard, and that’s her problem. She desperately wants to please her husband, and when they’re alone, she does. They get along, and they do love one another. But when people are around, she gets a little wacky. She’s not sure how to act, because she’s not sure who she is. She is constantly lost within her own identity and when she is confronted with that choice of being herself and what everyone wants her to be, she gets lost within her personality and gets out of hand.

The message that Mabel(Gena Rowlands) portrays about woman and the struggle of always being in certain stereotypes is remarkable to watch and will always be an inspiring piece for women across the world. Even some current actresses are still inspired by the impact of the film. some examples and quotes would be Kristen Dunst saying  “The performances that I love are ones like Gena Rowland’s in ‘A Woman Under the Influence,’ where women are allowed to be messy and imperfect. It’s that kind of woman that has always inspired me to seek roles that are a little out of the box. I just haven’t always had the opportunity to do them”. Oliva Thirlby also quoted a woman under the influence by saying  “But I would say maybe just from an actress’s perspective, probably ‘Woman Under the Influence’ is the best movie of all time. The style of filmmaking and the performances… you don’t feel like you’re watching a film”. A woman under the influence is a highly recommended drama film about a woman trying to survive the society that doesn’t accept or understand her.