ANOTHER WOMAN

LOOK, I’M WOODY. HOWDY, HOWDY, HOWDY.

Starring Gena Rowlands

Trailer

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A gentle amble through one woman’s mind, it’s quiet, reflective and possibly the beigest film ever made. Not the highest quality piece of work, but notable for the strength of its central role, Gena Rowlands playing a complicated, outwardly cold woman past the best opportunities of her life with both a dignity and desperation that are endearing to see. There aren’t a lot of movies doing the rounds like this; even the current small crop of indie films that dare to try something other than crashing cars or cracking wise tend to focus on the youth of the western world, so seeing an intelligent rumination on an aging woman’s feelings seem more alien than Avatar could ever hope to be. Yes, it’s another example of Allen’s favourite genre of upper-middle-class New Yorkers smiling but eventually telling each other how rubbish they are, but it’s always absorbing, well-pitched and interesting, making the run-time fly by and putting coins in the respect jar. His attention to Hollywood royalty deserves a pat on the glasses; name ten other great roles for aging actresses in the last twenty years and you can win this. Or this. Only one of them is real.