Any film that affects me emotionally I consider great. But a film that affects me so much that I feel it physically can be called a masterpiece. Narrative does not normally have such power. When a spectator is learning about people who aren't directly connected with you, who are usually not even real, then he/she should realize that these characters are apart from your life and should not matter.
Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives is a film, however, which sets the viewer in the action on screen. He does this with perfect hand-held cameras and jump cuts. The camera work makes you feel like you're right there, and it adds a breakneck speed to the film. This seems like one of the most realistic films ever made.
I have no complaints about this film myself. I would give it a 10/10, but make no mistake: this is a very unpleasant film to watch. I like unpleasant films, but this one is particularly harsh. The situations develop like a fly landing in a Venus fly trap. A character will walk towards a life which he/she believes will bring sweetness and happiness, but the new life quickly engulfs them. And when the film ends, the characters are seen stepping into a different trap: quicksand. No audience member could be naive enough to think that any of the characters are standing in a desirable place when the film closes.
Husbands and Wives is a movie that could cause divorces, and could cause long-term lapses between relationships. If nothing else, it is a film that will make you cringe and squirm.
Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives is a film, however, which sets the viewer in the action on screen. He does this with perfect hand-held cameras and jump cuts. The camera work makes you feel like you're right there, and it adds a breakneck speed to the film. This seems like one of the most realistic films ever made.
I have no complaints about this film myself. I would give it a 10/10, but make no mistake: this is a very unpleasant film to watch. I like unpleasant films, but this one is particularly harsh. The situations develop like a fly landing in a Venus fly trap. A character will walk towards a life which he/she believes will bring sweetness and happiness, but the new life quickly engulfs them. And when the film ends, the characters are seen stepping into a different trap: quicksand. No audience member could be naive enough to think that any of the characters are standing in a desirable place when the film closes.
Husbands and Wives is a movie that could cause divorces, and could cause long-term lapses between relationships. If nothing else, it is a film that will make you cringe and squirm.