tnrcooper
An older man (John Marley as Richard Forst) leaves his wife (Lynn Carlin as Maria Forst) and this film tracks the fallout as he takes up with a younger escort (Gena Rowlands as Jeannie Rapp) and she takes up with a more fun-loving younger man from Detroit (Seymour Cassel as Chet). The caustic moments in this film could peel the paint off walls. The false and forced bonhomie, the hollow laughter and the empty words will rip you to pieces.The cinematography overseen by Al Ruban astonishing. The quick cuts from speakers to their interpolators keep one just a little on edge but don't detract from the tension of the movie.The writing and acting are bracing - the early scene in which Richard shows affection and laughs almost manically as he and his wife share a nice domestic scene. Just a short time later though, we see the change in mood as they lay in bed and Richard, turning away from his wife, looks cold and distant, clearly about something not as pleasant. The rapidly shifting vibe between Richard and Jeannie as he flatters her and then seems cold and cruel toward her and she tries unsuccessfully to retain some emotional distance from him. Gena Rowlands is amazing in her scenes with John Marley. She conveys hurt, playfulness, need, and love in short order.Perhaps my favorite scene is when Richard goes to Jeannie only to find her entertaining two businessmen - Jim and Joe. Both men try to remain cool, not appearing too angry while also attempting to stake their claim for Jeannie's affections. Two powerful men trying to look cool while posturing makes for great entertainment. Cassavetes script conveys the difficulty of their task.The alienation and emotional isolation of Maria's nightcap with her friends and Chet (Seymour Cassel) is also bracing. They try to cheer her up but it seems no one is really having a good time. The mood shifts wildly and no one ends up happy. Astonishing writing and acting from Dorothy Gulliver as Florence and Darlene Conley as Billie Mae, as well as an amazing depiction of heartbreak from Lynn Carlin.The final scene is also amazing for the reserved way it holds in reserve vast amounts of emotional energy. The acting, writing, directing and camera-work here speak to professionals really working at a high level. The rawness of the acting, the skittish camera-work from Ruban, and Cassavetes control over, and vision of, it all, make this a film of the highest caliber.
cmccann-2
John Cassavetes' second feature of any note after 1959's Shadows, Faces is one of the late director's most daring and experimental films. Telling the story of a disintegrating relationship and the love its members seek in the arms of strangers, the film stars, amongst others, Lynn Carlin, John Marley, Gena Rowlands, and Seymour Cassel. It is shot in black and white and has a freewheeling home video quality - Cassavetes' camera scanning across various "faces", faces blurred, in focus, laughing, and crying.The director's greatest success with the picture rests in his ability to dismantle traditional Hollywood ideas about plot and pacing and still stir up emotion and feeling in the viewer. Cassavetes manages to capture remarkably human and naturalistic performances from his cast (for instance, the way his roving camera captures a shirtless Seymour Cassel chasing flirtatiously after Lynn Carlin through their hotel room, or Lynn Carlin and John Marley rubbing noses together and laughing in a moment of ecstasy), helping the film become more than just a collection of meandering long takes.Essential viewing for anyone looking to explore Cassavetes' work or trace the roots of the current independent film movement. 8/10.
ElMaruecan82
"Faces" is a slap in our faces. "Faces" faces reality like a telescopic mirror. Never had desperation and starving needs of love and respect looked so poignantly authentic. Not just because of the visions our discomforted eyes witness during these 24 hours of shouting, talking, arguing and laughing, but also, thanks to Cassavettes' genius directing, using close-ups on characters, so they can never lie or play. And when all the basis of the bourgeois way of life is hypocrisy, "Faces" plays a cathartic role, allowing us to stand back and realize that these "faces" are nothing else but ours.I can't count how many times "Faces" made me think "Oh, my God! This is so real" though I don't belong to any social category represented in this film, but this is more than slices of life stories about tired businessmen and disillusioned wives, all eager to maintain their sex or love appeal. "Faces" is about human relationships and the profound effect time exercise on men and women, old and young, married or single. Every interaction with people is guided by a personal approach to life and fear of death, inspiring to each character from this masterpiece a specific attitude, magnified in these denuding and disturbing close-ups. We can't help but feel a bit voyeuristic to watch them like this, but this indecency relies less on the actions than the disturbing truths they highlight. "Faces" is what prevails behind the masks of conformity, like the truest expression of the regrets and hopes governing our lives. "Faces" as Cassavettes's tribute to humanity and its poignant vulnerability. Vulnerability doesn't come easy in our relationships with strangers. Richard Frost, the businessman, portrayed by John Marley, personifies the fragility of an old man who must know where his life is going. Life is valuable and must focus on strong principles. Then he hides his doubt and weaknesses under a ludicrous carpet made of bad jokes and a manic laugh that doesn't fool anyone. When he's drunk with his friend (and never a drunk scene has been so realistic), he still tries to keep his dignity intact, and when Jeannie, played by a beautiful and delicate Gena Rowlands, criticizes the concept of friendship, he disagrees and expresses with seriousness its value then realizes that seriousness itself, is an overrated concept. Indeed, his best friend acts like a clown, then makes harsh remarks that hurt Jeannie's feelings, reminding her she's a whore. Jeannie disarms him, saying that he just doesn't know how to behave, and use aggressiveness as a mask to hide his vulnerability, hurting not to be hurt. They're all powerful businessmen, but yet vulnerable in their incapability to admit their doubts, their dependence of this cruel need to prove their manhood. This puerile pride is illustrated in a ridiculous fight scene between Richard and Jim, another executive played by Val Avery. When they realize how childishly they acted, they started talking like regular businessmen. But the need was still there. Need is the key word of "Faces", especially in the second part featuring the disillusioned wives of those men and Chet, a young swinger hippie they just met in a nightclub and brilliantly portrayed by Seymour Cassel. One of the women, played by Lynn Carlin, is Maria, Richard's wife, who's just been told by her husband, much older than her, that they should divorce. All these women know about their men and try to forget the emptiness of their marital situation, especially after the kids grew up and left the house. Inevitably, the need of being loved, desired and respected emerges back and spoils the evening. When a woman, encouraged by Chet, overcomes her shyness and starts dancing with him, she defensively reacts to Chet's "let's not make a fool of ourselves" and replies with hostility before leaving the house unaware that she's just made the wrong point. One of the friends understands that she's just doing this to make herself look honorable to forget her marriage's failure. Women also wear masks, using their status of accomplished mothers as an alibi to keep some ounces of dignity. The only one who doesn't care for dignity sees Chet with her drunk eyes as the opposite of her ugly uninteresting husband, and begs him for a poignant, but pitiful kiss.This pity is the response for fear and desperation. The climactic scene between Chet and Maria, will haunt me forever: the desperation when he tries to make her throw up, as to exorcise all the pain she accumulated is disturbingly poignant. This is a woman that can't play anymore, she just hates her life, and is too weak to simulate happiness. During a very insightful speech, Chet summarizes the whole point of the film, everything is almost mechanical, anyone, beautiful, ugly, happy or miserable is wearing a mask, and nothing matters more than the truth, honesty and the personal quest for happiness. This looks like the happy ending of a coming-of-age film, but this is brutally interrupted by Richard's arrival. We don't know what's going to happen next, Richard wanted a divorce but realized his disenchantment cost him his ability to love again, Maria lets him sitting on the stairs, after telling him, she's disgusted by her life, will she meet leave him or meet Chet again? Will Jeannie continue to wear this beautiful mask to hide her fear of not being attractive anymore? Are all these questions really relevant? Cassavettes point is not to teach, but to reveal, to show the face of truth in its poignant fragility. These are the faces, the rest is just feces.
