Another Woman

Another Woman (1988) starring Gena Rowlands, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, John Houseman, Sandy Dennis, Philip Bosco, Martha Plimpton, Gene Hackman. Written and directed by Woody Allen. It's one of Allen's "serious" films, in which a fifty-something philosophy professor (Rowlands) rents a small apartment in which to write a book, and finds that she can hear, through the heating vents, the conversation in a psychologist's office next door. She overhears a woman (Farrow) talking about the meaninglessness of life, and it starts her (Rowlands) thinking about her own life. Much of the structure of the movie seems derived from films by Ingmar Bergman, although of course Allen adds his own signature touches. I found the film a bit too introspective, and I'm not particularly enamored of Rowlands, who is in almost every scene. This is a quality film which has had much thought put into it, but I just didn't like it very much. (Subtitles in English are not provided, but closed captions are available.) Grade: B