Paul Newman's first time as a director netted him and wife/star Joanne Woodward several awards and nominations. It's one of those generally credible dramas that focuses on a small number of ordinary people in ordinary situations, which almost merit a subgenre classification. I only wish this movie offered fun, too.
Rachel's attitude is mostly bleak when she shows emotion at all, but it sure takes us a while to see why. For the most part, she seems bothered by little things that don't bother anyone else. What's so bad about life as a 35-year-old elementary teacher with friends often inviting her out?
By and by, we learn that having an undertaker for a father warped her as a kid, between heightened awareness of death and other kids making fun of her. Both parents show signs of emotional abuse, however subtle. Even so, having seen movies like Precious, I kept right on feeling like there wasn't enough explanation for how she got that maladjusted. I'm not saying it's less realistic that way, but it suggests a partial responsibility for her own misery.
Netflix and IMDb both make the story sound like a romance first and foremost. The thing is, Rachel's love interest barely even appears before the movie's half over, and he disappears well before the end. He's certainly key to what little plot there is, bringing some joy into her life and inspiring a shift in personality, but you have to prepare yourself for a film that's less a love story than a nearly solo character study.
Perhaps the cinematography stands out most. Rachel frequently has abrupt flashbacks and fantasies about the near future, both positive and negative, causing the audience to lose touch with her surroundings as much as she does. It's as jolting as it sounds, so you'd best watch while alert. I recalled that the next year, Easy Rider and especially Midnight Cowboy experimented similarly. All three also include casual sex, but for less time, less graphically, and with more obvious consequences in RR's case.
I can easily see how my mom would like it. It probably appeals more to women. Me, I just respect it.
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