FACES (1968) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - John Cassavetes

Written by - John Cassavetes

Starring - John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel

"Whereas in 1959 with Shadows the whole filmmaking process seemed to have been revolutionised, it was with Faces in 68 that Cassavetes became a fully realised filmmaker with his unique, ground breaking and deeply influential style. The film centres around the disintegration of a middle class marriage, where the husband and the wife cheat on each other during the course of one night. Faces feels genuine, the camera movements are underlooked in favour of a style more geared towards human interaction creating a real gritty atmosphere through actor’s performances, some of which are improvised and add to the overall intensity and realism of the drama and the impact of the film as a whole. Faces is also a milestone in American independent cinema and the first to be recognised by the Academy Awards with three nominations; a great achievement which favoured change in mainstream cinema."

Drama, USA