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The Whisperers, 1967
Mrs Ross (Edith Evans, fantastic) is a woman in her 70s who lives alone in an apartment. Lonely and often only kept company by the shouting from the younger couple who live upstairs, Mrs. Ross is convinced that she is being spied on and that unknown persons are going through her things while she is out. All though the course of the film, those around her are only after what they can take from her. Even an act intended as a kindness has unfortunate, harmful results.
This film is, as they say, a downer. It has a certain bleakness baked into every scene. And at the center of that bleakness is the main character's utterly dysfunctional relationship with the world around her.
Something that is keenly observed in the film is the way that Mrs. Ross's alienation from everyone else isn't entirely a case of the world being cruel to her. Don't get me wrong--she is certainly mistreated by most of the people she encounters. But there is also a degree to which Mrs. Ross dehumanizes or looks down on other people. She refers to her upstairs neighbor as "that Indian." She explains her home by saying that she "married down." When she does get talking to a woman (and, yes, to be fair the woman is clearly trying to scam her, but Mrs. Ross doesn't know that), she extends kindness . . . in the form of offering to hire her as a maid. Mrs. Ross hasn't cultivated positive relationships in her community, and she is effectively stranded in the middle of people who regard her only as a soft target.
Despite Mrs. Ross's occasional snobbery, however, she is certainly not deserving of the arbitrary and unnecessary cruelties she encounters day to day. When she is too enthusiastic at a church service, she is called a cow. Her own son calls her a "stupid mare". Finally, her estranged husband called her a "daft b*tch". She is constantly dehumanized and threatened, and she is so perplexed, humiliated, and flustered by these encounters that she seems unable course correct.
The one, small glimpse of kindness that she receives is the attentions paid her by her welfare agent, Mr. Conrad (Gerald Sim). Mrs. Ross writes Mr. Conrad long, borderline personal letters, and you get the sense that this is one of her most (if not the most) genuinely caring relationships she has with anyone. But even this relationship has its limits. Without really understanding Mrs. Ross, Mr. Conrad makes a decision for her that has the potential to be incredibly devastating--attempting to track down her long-absent husband.
Appearing in probably 95% of the movie, Edith Evans gives an absolutely amazing performance as Mrs. Ross. This is a woman who has been driven to a place of extreme loneliness and isolation. Her conversations with voices that aren't really there (voices that apparently raise her different doubts) seems a natural extension of someone who has been without any intimate or caring interaction for years, and possibly decades. Not only is she alone but the world around her has changed and her notions of proper behavior make her come across as condescending or crazy to anyone younger than 40.
Solid and well-acted, but be ready for rough emotional waters.
The Whisperers, 1967
Mrs Ross (Edith Evans, fantastic) is a woman in her 70s who lives alone in an apartment. Lonely and often only kept company by the shouting from the younger couple who live upstairs, Mrs. Ross is convinced that she is being spied on and that unknown persons are going through her things while she is out. All though the course of the film, those around her are only after what they can take from her. Even an act intended as a kindness has unfortunate, harmful results.
This film is, as they say, a downer. It has a certain bleakness baked into every scene. And at the center of that bleakness is the main character's utterly dysfunctional relationship with the world around her.
Something that is keenly observed in the film is the way that Mrs. Ross's alienation from everyone else isn't entirely a case of the world being cruel to her. Don't get me wrong--she is certainly mistreated by most of the people she encounters. But there is also a degree to which Mrs. Ross dehumanizes or looks down on other people. She refers to her upstairs neighbor as "that Indian." She explains her home by saying that she "married down." When she does get talking to a woman (and, yes, to be fair the woman is clearly trying to scam her, but Mrs. Ross doesn't know that), she extends kindness . . . in the form of offering to hire her as a maid. Mrs. Ross hasn't cultivated positive relationships in her community, and she is effectively stranded in the middle of people who regard her only as a soft target.
Despite Mrs. Ross's occasional snobbery, however, she is certainly not deserving of the arbitrary and unnecessary cruelties she encounters day to day. When she is too enthusiastic at a church service, she is called a cow. Her own son calls her a "stupid mare". Finally, her estranged husband called her a "daft b*tch". She is constantly dehumanized and threatened, and she is so perplexed, humiliated, and flustered by these encounters that she seems unable course correct.
The one, small glimpse of kindness that she receives is the attentions paid her by her welfare agent, Mr. Conrad (Gerald Sim). Mrs. Ross writes Mr. Conrad long, borderline personal letters, and you get the sense that this is one of her most (if not the most) genuinely caring relationships she has with anyone. But even this relationship has its limits. Without really understanding Mrs. Ross, Mr. Conrad makes a decision for her that has the potential to be incredibly devastating--attempting to track down her long-absent husband.
Appearing in probably 95% of the movie, Edith Evans gives an absolutely amazing performance as Mrs. Ross. This is a woman who has been driven to a place of extreme loneliness and isolation. Her conversations with voices that aren't really there (voices that apparently raise her different doubts) seems a natural extension of someone who has been without any intimate or caring interaction for years, and possibly decades. Not only is she alone but the world around her has changed and her notions of proper behavior make her come across as condescending or crazy to anyone younger than 40.
Solid and well-acted, but be ready for rough emotional waters.