Review of Interiors

In his dramatic directorial debut, Woody Allen comes away quite nicely with this story of three sisters (Diane Keaton, Mary Beth Hurt and Kristen Griffith) whose lives take very different turns, due largely in part to the separation of their parents (E.G. Marshall and Geraldine Page) and their mother's subsequent dependency on them, esp. after a harrowing suicide attempt. One would think that the breakup of the marriage would be the focal point of the movie and the problems of their daughters would form the subplots, but it is actually vice versa: Renata (Keaton) is a passionately intellectual woman who feels that she has never had the complete love and attention of her mother, Eve (Page) and father, Arthur (Marshall). Joey (Hurt) suffers from a problematic case of middle child syndrome. Coupled with the overwhelming task of being a pillar of support for her mother, she often throws moody signals of indifference towards her boyfriend, Mike (played by Sam Waterston). Flyn (Griffith) is a budding young actress whose cocaine habit she successfully hides from her family during her visit home. Her performance, along with Marshall's role as Arthur, were really the onty two underdeveloped leads. Had as much attention been paid to the cultivation of their characters as everyone else's, the movie would have been better rounded. An auteur like Allen should've known better, but he compensates for these small "flaws" with an interesting contrast by Maureen Stapleton as Pearl, Arthur's second wife. Immediately, the viewer can tell the difference between her and the rest of the characters. While Renata, Joey, Mike, etc.. wear plain colors such as puce, grey, and brown, Pearl wears a deep crimson dress (perhaps a throwback to Bette Davis' shocking moment in Jezebel?) to symbolize her vivacity and vigor. Her stint gives the movie a most appropriate shot of 'color', and the finale completes the film's theme of angst and disillusionment, bringing the viewer 'back to earth', so to speak. Overall, a brilliant, Bergmanesque effort from Allen that works, thanks to a first-rate cast and thought-provoking performances. "Interiors" Oscar nominations included Best Director, Best Actress (Page), and Best Supporting Actress (Stapleton).