Another Woman (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jonathan H

  
  It's no secret that Woody Allen idolized Bergman (which shouldn't come as much of a shock, since lots of people, myself included, share the same sentiment). He has tried, with mixed results, to make a true homage to the legend with Interiors and September, but with Another… More
  It's no secret that Woody Allen idolized Bergman (which shouldn't come as much of a shock, since lots of people, myself included, share the same sentiment). He has tried, with mixed results, to make a true homage to the legend with Interiors and September, but with Another Woman, he finally made a film that not only hits the examining, existential notes that Bergman hit routinely, but one that remarkably feels like a Woody Allen film in terms of its incredibly astute screenplay and beautiful staging. Some have called Another Woman a Wild Strawberries remake, but I would argue that it isn't a remake as much as it is a reimagining, or more to the point, a "repurposing" of the Bergman classic. It is a story of a university professor, played SPECTACULARLY by Gena Rowlands, in whom something stirs when she overhears a therapy session with a young 30-something woman who is discontent with her life. The professor, Marion, feels an emptiness rise inside her -- an emptiness that had settled there years before, that she can consciously feel now. Little by little, like in Interiors but better plotted in Wild Strawberries, the world she has constructed for herself, a cold, cerebral world, deconstructs. Marion despairs, enters into conflicts with herself, and questions endlessly trying to reason her way out of her malaise. But the cure for her malaise is not rational resolution and she, realizing that her strongest characteristic (namely her rational intelligence) is not enough to untangle what worries her, finds herself entirely helpless in the face of an unraveling existence. Her drama is very much like the drama of Professor Isak Borg from Bergman's film, a man on his way to receive a medal for his lifetime achievements. And, on the road, he also succumbs to the same malaise as Marion, the same questioning and the same painful re-evaluation. The horror shared by both Marion and Professor Borg, of course, is that despite their highly lauded accomplishments and their intellectual self-satisfaction, they feel a void. There must, in other words, be something else to life than strictly intellectual work, however satisfying it may be. Another Woman is a testament to the fact that Woody Allen was still at the top of his game in the late 80s. It is a brilliant, honest and perceptive film. It makes one wonder how different Bergman's films would have been if he didn't dismiss the visual sophistication that Allen spent most of his early career developing. In addressing the criticism of Another Woman, sure, a few beats feel contrived and forceful, but considering the heavy questions being posed, and the unrelenting commitment that Allen has to the material, this film had plenty of opportunities to fall flat on its face, and to its credit, it never does. In fact, it excels thanks to a fantastic script, brilliant performances, and a wise small dose of visual styling. This is Woody Allen at the height of his powers.

• Melvin W

  
  Marion: I wondered if a memory is something you have or something you've lost.  Another Woman is my least liked film from Woody Allen that I have seen. I found nothing to take away from it. It felt very much like a Woody Allen movie; just not as good of one. It had aspects that… More
  Marion: I wondered if a memory is something you have or something you've lost.  Another Woman is my least liked film from Woody Allen that I have seen. I found nothing to take away from it. It felt very much like a Woody Allen movie; just not as good of one. It had aspects that could make a great movie and already had. The plot borrows from Bergman's Wild Strawberries. The movie is extremely short and by the end it feels likes it feels never got going. From Allen, this just doesn't seem right. It feels like he had no great ideas that and year, but since he has to put a movie out annually, he just threw one together. I'm sure that's not accurate. I'm sure Allen probably liked what he had here and worked hard at making a great film out of it.  I'm still a big fan of Allen's work for the most part and that's probably why I'm disappointed with Another Woman. The cast is there and is pretty good. Allen's normal subject matter is there. But the movie never seems to be entirely there. It's like something was lost. Oh well, I guess I will just have to watch Hannah and Her Sister again to renew my faith in watching another Woody Allen movie.

• Jennifer X

  
  Using Erik Satie's Gynompedie No. 1 was the perfect touch to the melancholic longings of Marion Post's character. I usually hate repetitive themes but this one jibed quite well for me. It was no means a perfect film but the out-of-sequence scenes reminded me of… More
  Using Erik Satie's Gynompedie No. 1 was the perfect touch to the melancholic longings of Marion Post's character. I usually hate repetitive themes but this one jibed quite well for me. It was no means a perfect film but the out-of-sequence scenes reminded me of Deconstructing Harry, Manhattan, and Husbands and Wives at at once. The jagged edge of cynicism never pierced too hard but was tempered to a constant dull hum. Woody has improved at this drama technique over the years. Many hate the smörgåsbord of themes constantly clashing in Woody's films but I love that each film reminds me of another yet remains so disparate.

• Tim S

  
  Gena Rowlands drew me to this film, but then I found out how great depressed Woody is.

• Alec B

  
  An underrated little gem from Woody Allen. For as much as the film is about regret I found it strangely hopeful. Gena Rowlands performance is quite remarkable, she communicates volumes with a gesture or an expression. Allen is known for comedy, but he crafts small quiet dramas very… More
  An underrated little gem from Woody Allen. For as much as the film is about regret I found it strangely hopeful. Gena Rowlands performance is quite remarkable, she communicates volumes with a gesture or an expression. Allen is known for comedy, but he crafts small quiet dramas very well.

• Joey N

  
  Interesting, subtle Allen film. It strikes a somber, emotionally rich tone (which is ironic, given that the character does not allow herself to feel emotions). This is supposed to be an homage to Allen's idol Bergman.

• Brian R

  
  One of the coldest Woody Allen pictures I have seen. Gena Rowlands is very good and portrays her character as someone who thought everyone likes her but deep down does not. There is a scene where the Rowlands characters is disliked by her former best friend because she happened to… More
  One of the coldest Woody Allen pictures I have seen. Gena Rowlands is very good and portrays her character as someone who thought everyone likes her but deep down does not. There is a scene where the Rowlands characters is disliked by her former best friend because she happened to steal away a boyfriend from her best friend Claire (Sandy Dennis). Is disliked by her brother Paul (Harris Yulin), is in a cold lifeless marriage with her husband since her husband is having an affair and seems to enjoy taking advantage of his wife. In the past the Rowlands character had an affair with her teacher and got pregnant by him. They quarrel due to the fact that the Rowlands character is not ready to raise a child while the teacher wants to raise the baby. Years later she regrets having an abortion and is left miserable. The Rowland's character also gets involve with a man she should have been married to but married the wrong guy and evasedrops on a conversation as a woman tells her personal story next door. All of these turn of events become darker and darker but it is evident Woody Allen has based his picture on a recent Ingmar Bergman film called "Wild Strawberries". I guess "Another Woman" is an homage but I was deeply involved with the characters especially the main character played by Gena Rowlands who in retrospect, gets a hard dose of cold reality and decides that she must turn her life around for the better of her own sake.

• Bill C

  
  Gena Rolands really exemplifies a desirable intelligent 50 year old woman. Several event cause a cascade of memories of defining moments in her life. She looks through her mothers pictures after she passes away. She has an unsettling run in with her childhood best friend. Lastly she… More
  Gena Rolands really exemplifies a desirable intelligent 50 year old woman. Several event cause a cascade of memories of defining moments in her life. She looks through her mothers pictures after she passes away. She has an unsettling run in with her childhood best friend. Lastly she overhears a very pregnant Mia Farrow?s sessions with here psychoanalyst. As a extremely focused and driven professor of philosophy she has little time for indulging the frivolous or messy parts of life. Solid intellectual entertainment from some of the best 1980?s actors. In the end it plays more like a stage play than a movie. A whole lot of talking and watching people interact but no real soul. If you really enjoy plays this is probably a great pick

• Sunil J

  
  Just okay.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings