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"In what is widely regarded as the masterpiece of the great American maverick John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands delivers an emotionally devastating, Oscar-nominated performance as emotionally unbalanced working-class housewife Mabel, whose increasingly erratic behaviour finally convinces her construction worker husband Nick (Peter Falk) to commit her to an institution for treatment ― never mind that his own macho, bullying household manner is just as unpredictable and bizarre as hers. When “cured,” Mabel returns to her family, but Cassavetes forces us to question whether Mabel is under the influence of mental stress, excessive love for her family, or the constrictive restraints of her role as wife and mother. Gliding along a razor’s edge as it depicts two people with vastly different conceptions of the world searching for a way to communicate their love to each other, A Woman Under the Influence is “the toughest of all great American films. It takes conflicts and dynamics that we all know ― all of us ― and writes them uncomfortably large” (Kent Jones)." - Toronto International Film Festival

Imported 35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation and GUCCI.

M | Moderate themes, some violence