The characters in John Cassavetes’ FACES are people who seem to be trying to revert to a primal state, but can’t remember how to get there. They drink, they shoot the bull, they lash out, their impulses take over, they become more and more naked emotionally. And then, just as they seem to be connecting with each other, just as they’re on the cusp of some personal discovery, they suddenly stop to notice how unguarded they’ve become, and quickly throw up the defenses again.

It is to Cassavetes’ credit that his style of filmmaking reflects these kinds of people. The camera is restless, the dialogue rambles, and the acting has a degree of sloppiness to it. Cassavetes was at the forefront of the American independent film movement in the 1960s and 1970s (before it became “hip”), and his films are a distinct departure from big-budget Hollywood fare of the period- FACES, for example, was about as far as one could get from, say, THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Cassavetes was an actor by day, starring in movies like ROSEMARY’S BABY. Meanwhile, he used his big-studio paychecks to finance his directing projects, which were made cheaply. He often cast his friends, including Seymour Cassel, Peter Falk, and wife Gena Rowlands. The films had a spontaneous, on-the-fly feel to them, both in terms of style and content.

Having recently viewed FACES again for the first time in years, I was struck by how little really happens in the film. The story focuses on a married couple, Richard and Maria Forst (John Marley and Lynn Carlin), a prostitute named Jeannie (Gena Rowlands), and a young free-spirit named Chet (Seymour Cassel). After a drunken night with Jeannie, Richard comes home and asks Maria for a divorce. He then goes back to Jeannie’s house and, after getting rid of some other partiers, he spends the night there.

Meanwhile, Maria goes out to a club with some friends and meets Chet. The girls and Chet then come back to Maria’s place for drinking and talking (of course), and the night ends with a whimper- then a bang, as Chet returns to Maria’s and they make love. The morning after, Maria has overdosed on pills, and Chet scrambles to help her regain consciousness. She does, and they talk for a bit before Richard comes back home, rejuvenated from his night at Jeannie’s. Chet sneaks out a window, Richard and Maria argue, and then they suddenly slump down in the stairwell, too tired and weary to fight anymore. They resign themselves to starting a new day.

And that’s about it. One interesting thing about the film is how little we find out about these characters. How long has Richard known Jeannie? Has Richard proposed divorce to Maria in the past? Is temporary separation just his alibi to screw around? And how many times has Maria screwed around, or is Chet the first? The film doesn’t say.

Strangely enough, it hardly matters. Cassavetes had the rare gift of immersing audiences completely in the moment. His character drink seemingly to disregard everything but the present tense, and the style of the film leads us to do much the same. It’s a bit jarring at first, because not much is going on in a conventional sense, but eventually you become accustomed to the film’s method. The rhythm of the film is like that of a late-night drunken bull session, where in retrospect nothing of consequence was discussed or done, but while you’re actually taking part you feel like you’re part of something profound.

It only helps the film that the acting is so good. John Marley’s performance may be the most unguarded of the four main performers, and he finds fascinating ways to veer from genial to aggressive and then back again. Lynn Carlin’s role is less reliant on dialogue then her costars, conveying much of her character through facial expressions and posture, particularly in the extended sequence where Chet and the girls invade her home while she plays the proper hostess.

Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands are better-known today than their co-stars, and it’s interesting to see them so young and fresh-faced here. Cassel’s appearance at first is almost startling, given that he not only looks young but also isn’t sporting the mustache he so often wears today, but he’s note-perfect as the energetic, fun loving Chet, who takes a shine to Maria.

Finally, with this film, Gena Rowlands began to create a reputation for being one of the premier actresses of her generation, and perhaps of all time. Here it feels like her trademark character, with both her self-assurance and her flightiness, has sprung fully-formed from some great cinematic womb, and she would take this type of character in fascinating directions not only in her later collaborations with her husband, but also in other directors’ work, especially Woody Allen’s ANOTHER WOMAN.

John Cassavetes’ body of work isn’t as diverse as that of many “great” filmmakers, but few directors were able to convey such a unique personal vision in their films. Looking back at FACES, one can’t help but marvel at how successful it is at echoing its characters’ mindsets in the style of the film, but perhaps this had less to do with a conscious effort on Cassavetes’ part than a deep personal and psychological investment in the film. Could be he was only directing the movie the one way he knew how- impulsive, rambling, restless, and sloppy, just like his characters. And oh, how it works.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV