A Woman Under the Influence
A raw, claustrophobic drama of domestic disintegration where love becomes a fractured mirror, reflecting the agonizing struggle between a woman's vibrant spirit and the suffocating boundaries of mid-century normalcy.
A Woman Under the Influence
A Woman Under the Influence

"A woman of today, her world, her passions."

18 November 1974 United States of America 155 min ⭐ 7.8 (540)
Director: John Cassavetes
Cast: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands, Katherine Cassavetes
Drama Romance
The Performance of Normalcy Gender Roles and Patriarchal Control Communication Breakdown The Cycle of Family Dysfunction
Budget: $1,000,000
Box Office: $12,200,000

A Woman Under the Influence - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

Tell me what you want me to be! I can be anything! I can be anything you want me to be!

— Mabel Longhetti

Context:

Mabel screams this during a desperate confrontation with Nick as she tries to avoid being sent away.

Meaning:

Highlights the total loss of self-identity that Mabel feels in her marriage, viewing her personality as something that should be molded by her husband's desires.

Mabel's not crazy, she's unusual. She's not crazy, so don't say she's crazy.

— Nick Longhetti

Context:

Nick tells this to his construction crew friends early in the film to set the tone for their interaction with her.

Meaning:

Demonstrates Nick's fierce loyalty and his defensive denial of the reality of Mabel's mental state.

Die! Die for me! Die for your father!

— Mabel Longhetti

Context:

Mabel encourages her children to play-act death to the music of Swan Lake during a frantic afternoon.

Meaning:

A disturbing moment where Mabel uses the metaphor of the dying swan to express her own emotional exhaustion to her children.