Welcome back to another edition of Adam's Reviews!! **queue intro music**
Today's movie is the romantic comedy drama An Unmarried Woman (1978), a tale about Erica, played amazingly by the great late Jill Clayburgh, is a New York City, Upper East Side woman who seems to be doing all the right things in her life, an alright job, has a good group of friends and is happy with her married life with a young teenage daughter. This is until the day her husband of 16 years Martin, played superbly by Michael Murphy, announces he has been having an affair with another younger woman and leaves his wife and his daughter.
From the scene where the filmmaker pans out the glamorous Upper East Side and cuts to Erica and Martin jogging across the river where Martin has a hissy fit due to stepping on dogcrp and theorises that his wife somehow planned to have his step on dogcrap and changes his mood by asking a quickie with his wife, or being concerned with his health and is frustrated with his work just demonstrates how ungrateful he is. Whereas Erica is in awe of her life, from laughing at her daughter's remark on whether the "earth moved?" to dancing as the brilliant new talent in her debut to the ballet world in the ballet production Swan Lake.
Erica's world turns upside down due her husband's betrayal and realises that the man she came home to every night is not there and now feels alone due to the retcon of her routine life. Hurt and angered by her husband's betrayal, Erica slowly begins to re-evaluate her life and explore her newfound freedom. The filmmaker Paul Mazursky perfectly captures the themes of divorce, betrayal and the empowerment of a woman finding her identity after a failed marriage.
Jill Clayburgh's performance as Erica is pure raw emotion yet grounded as she acts different levels of vulnerability of a woman. One level is to desperately trying to roll with the punches whilst another level is to grieve her marriage and lastly the final level is gaining strength as Erica navigates the challenges of her divorce.
Clayburgh's nuanced portrayal allows the audience to empathize with Erica's pain, frustration, and eventual resilience. The film doesn't shy away from depicting the initial shock and heartbreak that often accompany betrayal and the dissolution of a marriage. Erica's journey becomes a universal story of self-discovery and empowerment in the face of profound betrayal. The movie delves into the raw emotions experienced by someone who trusted their partner completely, only to be left abandoned and heartbroken.
The portrayal of betrayal is poignant and realistic, capturing the intricacies of human relationships and the unforeseen challenges that can arise even in seemingly stable marriages. This can be demonstrated with Erica's friends commenting her husband's affair with one friend advising to hiring a divorce lawyer, another is advising on how not to completely end the marriage as Martin may come back whilst the final friend looks miserable probably contemplating on whether there is a marriage out there which can last forever. Each friends represents a spectrum of possible reactions of being suddenly "unmarried" in their thirties.
Erica's journey allows her to confront her own insecurities and reassess her sense of self-worth. At first, she shows anger and despise towards Martin, which gradually transitions towards all men. The film doesn't romanticize the pain of betrayal but instead portrays it with a raw authenticity that resonates with viewers. Erica undergoes a profound transformation, shedding her old identity as a wife and mother to embrace her individuality. The film celebrates her strength and resilience as she rebuilds her life, explores new relationships, and rediscovers her passions and desires. She explores her interests, talents, and desires, allowing herself to fully experience life as an individual. This process of self-exploration helps her regain her self-confidence, which may have been overshadowed during her marriage. Through her interactions with various people, including romantic interests and friends, she begins to understand her own worth beyond her roles as a wife and mother.
The pivotal moment are the scenes with Erica visiting her psychiatrist, which leads to Erica to enter the singles-bar jungle is also a walk through a minefield; however, the filmmaker Mazursky finds the right line, or tone, to end a difficult scene where the character Charlie played by Cliff Gorman, pelted with body hair, turns out to be the scenes correct solution with the correct line "Relax, the foot doctor's here."
Enter Saul Kaplan who is an artist Erica meets after her divorce is perhaps the trickiest act in the film. Mazursky uses the character as a way for Erica to understand her personal growth, her self-worth and self-discovery by refusing to go off to Vermont with Saul for the summer and rather give herself to one man, unwisely as it turned out, she will now keep permanent possession of herself. Smart move by Mazursky who uses this act as a way to allow Erica to keep her independence while shouldering as well the burden of his dependence on her.
Saul becomes a significant romantic interest in her life. Saul is understanding, caring, and appreciates Erica's newfound independence. Their relationship is marked by mutual respect and emotional intimacy, providing Erica with the support she needs during her healing process. Saul's character serves as a contrast to Erica's ex-husband and represents a healthier, more equal partnership.
These romantic relationships serve as a catalyst for Erica's personal growth and self-discovery. Through her interactions with these men, she learns more about herself, her desires, and her boundaries. Each relationship contributes to her understanding of what she truly wants and deserves in a partnership.
Overall, An Unmarried Woman is such a good film not because it states vast truths about men and women but because it finds that there are none. There are always levels of complexities amongst men and women and with this flick we see a woman who invites us viewers of her transformation which symbolizes her wllingness to embrace her needs and desires unapologetically after going through a divorce, 8/10.
Today's movie is the romantic comedy drama An Unmarried Woman (1978), a tale about Erica, played amazingly by the great late Jill Clayburgh, is a New York City, Upper East Side woman who seems to be doing all the right things in her life, an alright job, has a good group of friends and is happy with her married life with a young teenage daughter. This is until the day her husband of 16 years Martin, played superbly by Michael Murphy, announces he has been having an affair with another younger woman and leaves his wife and his daughter.
From the scene where the filmmaker pans out the glamorous Upper East Side and cuts to Erica and Martin jogging across the river where Martin has a hissy fit due to stepping on dogcrp and theorises that his wife somehow planned to have his step on dogcrap and changes his mood by asking a quickie with his wife, or being concerned with his health and is frustrated with his work just demonstrates how ungrateful he is. Whereas Erica is in awe of her life, from laughing at her daughter's remark on whether the "earth moved?" to dancing as the brilliant new talent in her debut to the ballet world in the ballet production Swan Lake.
Erica's world turns upside down due her husband's betrayal and realises that the man she came home to every night is not there and now feels alone due to the retcon of her routine life. Hurt and angered by her husband's betrayal, Erica slowly begins to re-evaluate her life and explore her newfound freedom. The filmmaker Paul Mazursky perfectly captures the themes of divorce, betrayal and the empowerment of a woman finding her identity after a failed marriage.
Jill Clayburgh's performance as Erica is pure raw emotion yet grounded as she acts different levels of vulnerability of a woman. One level is to desperately trying to roll with the punches whilst another level is to grieve her marriage and lastly the final level is gaining strength as Erica navigates the challenges of her divorce.
Clayburgh's nuanced portrayal allows the audience to empathize with Erica's pain, frustration, and eventual resilience. The film doesn't shy away from depicting the initial shock and heartbreak that often accompany betrayal and the dissolution of a marriage. Erica's journey becomes a universal story of self-discovery and empowerment in the face of profound betrayal. The movie delves into the raw emotions experienced by someone who trusted their partner completely, only to be left abandoned and heartbroken.
The portrayal of betrayal is poignant and realistic, capturing the intricacies of human relationships and the unforeseen challenges that can arise even in seemingly stable marriages. This can be demonstrated with Erica's friends commenting her husband's affair with one friend advising to hiring a divorce lawyer, another is advising on how not to completely end the marriage as Martin may come back whilst the final friend looks miserable probably contemplating on whether there is a marriage out there which can last forever. Each friends represents a spectrum of possible reactions of being suddenly "unmarried" in their thirties.
Erica's journey allows her to confront her own insecurities and reassess her sense of self-worth. At first, she shows anger and despise towards Martin, which gradually transitions towards all men. The film doesn't romanticize the pain of betrayal but instead portrays it with a raw authenticity that resonates with viewers. Erica undergoes a profound transformation, shedding her old identity as a wife and mother to embrace her individuality. The film celebrates her strength and resilience as she rebuilds her life, explores new relationships, and rediscovers her passions and desires. She explores her interests, talents, and desires, allowing herself to fully experience life as an individual. This process of self-exploration helps her regain her self-confidence, which may have been overshadowed during her marriage. Through her interactions with various people, including romantic interests and friends, she begins to understand her own worth beyond her roles as a wife and mother.
The pivotal moment are the scenes with Erica visiting her psychiatrist, which leads to Erica to enter the singles-bar jungle is also a walk through a minefield; however, the filmmaker Mazursky finds the right line, or tone, to end a difficult scene where the character Charlie played by Cliff Gorman, pelted with body hair, turns out to be the scenes correct solution with the correct line "Relax, the foot doctor's here."
Enter Saul Kaplan who is an artist Erica meets after her divorce is perhaps the trickiest act in the film. Mazursky uses the character as a way for Erica to understand her personal growth, her self-worth and self-discovery by refusing to go off to Vermont with Saul for the summer and rather give herself to one man, unwisely as it turned out, she will now keep permanent possession of herself. Smart move by Mazursky who uses this act as a way to allow Erica to keep her independence while shouldering as well the burden of his dependence on her.
Saul becomes a significant romantic interest in her life. Saul is understanding, caring, and appreciates Erica's newfound independence. Their relationship is marked by mutual respect and emotional intimacy, providing Erica with the support she needs during her healing process. Saul's character serves as a contrast to Erica's ex-husband and represents a healthier, more equal partnership.
These romantic relationships serve as a catalyst for Erica's personal growth and self-discovery. Through her interactions with these men, she learns more about herself, her desires, and her boundaries. Each relationship contributes to her understanding of what she truly wants and deserves in a partnership.
Overall, An Unmarried Woman is such a good film not because it states vast truths about men and women but because it finds that there are none. There are always levels of complexities amongst men and women and with this flick we see a woman who invites us viewers of her transformation which symbolizes her wllingness to embrace her needs and desires unapologetically after going through a divorce, 8/10.