I watched this because it was on a best movies on Netflix. I was really surprised by how engrossing this movie was. The acting was fantastic.It is a look into a family's life torn apart because the mom/wife is suffering from ... insanity... manic depression? Something... and a husbands desperation to keep it/himself/the family together. You really feel like you are in the movie with these people and at times it makes for very akward watching. Spoiler but not really - there is a scene where there are a whole bunch of guests eating dinner at the main character's house and the woman is getting a little to weird for the husband and he yells at her to sit the hell down and there is dead silence and akward shifting in chairs. Ugh it made me feel so uncomfortable I couldn't stop watching!!!

Gena Rowlands is cast as the woman under the influence of some undefined mental disorder. Her acting is superb; when the camera is in a close-up of her face, her chops are just better than anything I have seen. Her facial gestures, the eyes, furrowing of the brows, nose twitching, everything - is the best I have seen in an actor portraying emotions and thoughts without having to say too much. Wow.In my opinion, it was her husband, Nick (Peter Falk) who was the one who needed to be put away. He portrayed a man who was angry, and he was angry and violent throughout the movie, for the most part. Poor Mabel (Rowlands), she was at the mercy of his anger and emotionally did what she had to do to cope.But this was a different era; it was shown, through Cassavetes' writing and direction, that it was acceptable then, in some American blue-collar homes, to slap women around, threaten people, give children alcohol, as long as it was the man of the house doing it.How times have changed, and it was through movies like this, where bizarre social behavior that was on the borderline of acceptable in that era, may have been a catalyst for the audience to examine their own emotions and mores.

From Oscar and Golden Globe nominated director John Cassavetes (Shadows, Faces, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), I found this film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I was certainly interested in watching it for this placement, and the leading stars sounded appealing. Basically in Los Angeles, housewife and mother Mabel Longhetti (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Gena Rowlands) is slowly developing strange mannerisms and her behaviour is becoming increasingly odd, she wants to please her construction worker husband Nick (Peter Falk) who she loves dearly, but he is concerned about the way she is being in the company of other people. He believes she is becoming a threat to other and herself, so he reluctantly has her committed to an institution to undergo six months of mental treatment, but left alone with their three children he seems no better or wiser than his wife, he cannot fulfil the role society expects him to play, and he is changing in the way he relates to and reacts to his offspring. Six months pass and Mabel returns home, but is clear she is still mentally and emotionally strained in doing so, and her husband seems ill prepared for her return also, he at first planned a welcome home party with guests, but at the last minute cancels and send the guests home, knowing that this is foolish. Mostly only close family, including Mabel's parents, Nick's parents, and their three children, go to greet Mabel for her return, but even this is overwhelming for her and for Nick, and the evening becomes another night or torment and anguish as the couple emotionally and psychological argue. During this very bad fight Mabel cuts herself, and following these events the rest of the family leave, she and Nick are left alone to put the children to bed, but they cannot sleep knowing that the distress may mean her leaving again, they profess their love for their mother, she eventually gets them to bed, and the film ends with no real resolution as Mabel and Nick get ready for bed themselves. Also starring Matthew Cassel as Tony Longhetti, Matthew Labyorteaux as Angelo Longhetti, Christina Grisanti as Maria Longhetti, Katherine Cassavetes (John's mother) as Margaret Longhetti, Lady Rowlands (Gena's mother) as Martha Mortensen and Fred Draper as George Mortensen. I can see why Rowlands was nominated the awards, she is pretty convincing as the mentally unstable wife who struggles to keep the family she loves, and Falk is equally good as the husband struggling to cope with his wife's erratic behaviour, it is a simple premise, a wife having a mental breakdown, being sent away for treatment, and returning with no real change, I agree that if the film was judged just by acting it would is fantastic, but being just over two hours it does feel a little too stretched, otherwise it is a most watchable drama. It was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay for John Cassavetes. Very good!

With starring roles in "The Dirty Dozen" and "Rosemary's Baby", John Cassavetes was one of Hollywood's strongest actors during the late 1960s. Today, however, he is perhaps better remembered for his innovations behind the camera - the author of 'Shadows', 'Faces', 'A Woman Under the Influence', and 'The Killing of a Chinese Bookie', films shot in a gritty, Cinema Verite-style that featured strong performances from a repertoire of actors including Seymour Cassel, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, and Gena Rowlands."A Woman Under the Influence" is the apex of Cassavetes' artistry and perhaps his greatest film. It recounts the story of Mabel Longhetti (Gena Rowlands), a housewife/mother with failing mental health. The film tells of the incidences that lead her to suffer a nervous breakdown, the toll Mabel's struggles have on her husband Nick (Peter Falk) and three children, and her shaky readjustment to normal life after a 6-month stay in a mental hospital.Gena Rowlands' performance as a troubled house-wife is powerful and electrifying. Cassavetes' style is frequently imitated but rarely bettered, and the extent of his talent is on full display here. The documentary filming helps draw us into the inner world of the family, and we as an audience are subject to the Longhetti's eccentricity and dysfunction but also the love and togetherness that offers a sort of transcendence. There have been many indie movies and docudramas centered on familial dysfunction since, but in terms of poetry and emotional resonance, "A Woman Under the Influence" is peerless.9/10