ImagesIt is said that one's perception is that person's reality; but what does that say about the delusional? Images is a psychological thriller directed by Robert Altman, and starring Susannah York--who co-wrote the film along with Altman--as an author of children's books named Cathryn who is slowly losing her mind. Beginning with a series of audio and visual delusions including doubting voices and manifestations of old lovers, Cathryn's psychosis comes to a head after she and her husband, Hugh (Rene Auberjonois) take a holiday in the country. Before long, Cathryn can no longer distinguish fantasy from reality.
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The Seventies were a decade rich with experimental dramas by auteurs who were unafraid to peel away the artifice of social niceties and expose the raw nerves of interpersonal relationships and fractured psyches--films created by artists including Ingmar Bergman, Nicolas Roeg, Louis Malle, and more. What makes Images so invigorating for audiences who enjoy this style of filmmaking is that it is less concerned about the plot than in the prevailing sense of dread and unease that emerges from the behaviors of its characters. The film begins with Cathryn narrating a children's story that she appears to be writing--either literally, or just in her mind. (The story is titled "In Search of Unicorns", with Susannah York credited as its author.) Cathryn's soft-spoken narration has a soporific quality to it that lends an air of calm and serenity to each scene where it's present. It also often happens when the camera is observing Cathryn from afar, sometimes with a striking waterfall as a backdrop, or as she writes on her bed in her stylish city apartment that she shares with her husband. Many scenes have a dreamlike quality to them, which makes it all the more disarmingly easy for Cathryn to slip into a nightmare state without warning. Cathryn's first unsettling experience comes after a conversation with a friend is interrupted by a voice that coyly inquires if she knows where her husband is...and who he's with. When he does come home, Cathryn accuses him of being with another woman, and the film remains equally coy by not giving any evidence either way. This is but the aperitif to the meatier shock that comes when Hugh seems to be momentarily and suddenly swapped out with an erstwhile lover of Cathryn's named Rene (Marcel Bozzuffi), who carries on as though he were her husband without missing a beat. Convinced that they need a vacation, Rene takes them to the country, although Cathryn's delusions continue in full force from the moment of their arrival. When Rene pulls the car off to the side of the road to go hunting before they reach their isolated cottage, Cathryn observes herself down below in the valley entering their retreat. More disorienting is when her doppelganger looks back up at the cliff and sees a silhouette staring back at her, implied to be the original Cathryn.
Images has a relatively small core cast, comprised of only five actors. Shortly after Cathryn and Rene arrive, they are greeted by their friend--and, unbeknownst to Hugh, another of Cathryn's former lovers--named Marcel (Hugh Millais), and his young daughter, Susannah (Cathryn Harrison). Astute readers will notice that these five actors appear to have adopted the names of their colleagues for naming their characters, which is by design, since these characters' identities bleed together in Cathryn's eyes. Consider one scene near the end of Images where the young Susannah comments that when she grows up, she will be just like Cathryn. This is followed with a shot of Susannah looking through a car window at Cathryn, and their faces seem to merge together. (Interestingly, Cathryn Harrison would later star in Louis Malle's Black Moon, where a similar blurring of identity and self transpires.) Cathryn increasingly substitutes one man for another, which is forgivable, since they all alternately tease her and/or attempt to seduce her. Continuity itself even becomes unstable, like when Cathryn appears to go to bed separately with each of the three men, and only later does it become apparent that some or all of these scenes are from her memory; which ones are or are not is less clear, though. Cathryn confronts the Rene's specter early on, reminding him that she killed him three years ago. Smirking, he observes that his presence is evidence that she's losing her mind. And still, Cathryn appears to be physically capable of interacting with Rene, like when she beans him in the head, causing his forehead to gush blood. But her attempts to exorcise these demons of her past are ultimately futile. When Hugh leaves behind his shotgun after a fruitless hunting trip, "Rene" loads the shotgun and taunts Cathryn to shoot him. When she does, she believes that she has slain him yet again...only to discover that all she did was fire both barrels into a camera Hugh keeps for amateur photography. Images goes against the grain established by other psychological thrillers that depict psychosis. They often reveal the delusion right away, which deprives the audience of genuinely sympathizing with the afflicted protagonist. Images maintains these visions for extended periods of time, keeping the audience close to the madness; they are forced to experience it like Cathryn does.
It's been suggested that another one of Robert Altman's films, 3 Women, was inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Persona. Similarly, Images is reminiscent of Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly and The Passion of Anna. Comparisons to the former are more literal, but it resembles the latter in terms of tone and style. Where Karin in the former was schizophrenic and believed that she saw God as a spider, the pervading tension and sense of overwhelming psychological chaos and powerlessness in the latter is ubiquitous in Images. Ingmar Bergman often made films that were described as "chamber dramas"--intimate stories comprised of few sets and actors, which is also true for Images. Additionally, characters in his films--like The Passion of Anna--conceal their past or current affairs from those they ostensibly trust, and their values begin to warp as a result of their mere proximity to one another. Recalling Altman's other early Seventies works, like McCabe & Mrs Miller, dialogue (or the occasional monologue in Cathryn's case when she narrates) comes in quietly, and is punctuated by the occasional scream at a moment of shocking revelation. This underscores that the audience's experience comes largely from absorbing the mood of the scene more than the content of often banal conversations, like the small talk that accompanies putting together a puzzle from Cathryn's youth. Graeme Clifford's editing draws Cathryn's increasing paranoia and hallucinations to the surface. For much of Images, it is unclear whether her double is a figment of her imagination or is actually a real alter ego given flesh. Images even toys with being a commentary on the hollowness of affluence. Cathryn and Hugh are clearly wealthy enough to afford both an opulent city apartment as well as an isolated cottage set on a highly desirable plot of land in a verdant valley. Hugh enjoys his "toys", from cameras to guns, and loves wearing his designer driving gloves at all times. But Hugh seems to view Cathryn as just another one of his toys, like when he "plays with her" about what's for dinner and other things. And despite Cathryn seeming to be a writer of children's books, she does very little actual writing, nor does she appear to need to write anyway. Her lifestyle affords her the freedom to have affairs and let her mind wander into the farthest reaches of her psyche. But for someone like Cathryn, who needs a clear direction in life, this is like giving a child a loaded gun and acting surprised when it goes off.
Recommended for: Fans of a movie that is a "psychological drama" in a literal sense, namely in how it explores the mind of its protagonist by manifesting her delusions on screen. Images features occasional blasts of violence and nudity, but it is really more appropriate for adults because of the complex themes of mental illness, ennui, and the consequences of infidelity that it addresses.
Images has a relatively small core cast, comprised of only five actors. Shortly after Cathryn and Rene arrive, they are greeted by their friend--and, unbeknownst to Hugh, another of Cathryn's former lovers--named Marcel (Hugh Millais), and his young daughter, Susannah (Cathryn Harrison). Astute readers will notice that these five actors appear to have adopted the names of their colleagues for naming their characters, which is by design, since these characters' identities bleed together in Cathryn's eyes. Consider one scene near the end of Images where the young Susannah comments that when she grows up, she will be just like Cathryn. This is followed with a shot of Susannah looking through a car window at Cathryn, and their faces seem to merge together. (Interestingly, Cathryn Harrison would later star in Louis Malle's Black Moon, where a similar blurring of identity and self transpires.) Cathryn increasingly substitutes one man for another, which is forgivable, since they all alternately tease her and/or attempt to seduce her. Continuity itself even becomes unstable, like when Cathryn appears to go to bed separately with each of the three men, and only later does it become apparent that some or all of these scenes are from her memory; which ones are or are not is less clear, though. Cathryn confronts the Rene's specter early on, reminding him that she killed him three years ago. Smirking, he observes that his presence is evidence that she's losing her mind. And still, Cathryn appears to be physically capable of interacting with Rene, like when she beans him in the head, causing his forehead to gush blood. But her attempts to exorcise these demons of her past are ultimately futile. When Hugh leaves behind his shotgun after a fruitless hunting trip, "Rene" loads the shotgun and taunts Cathryn to shoot him. When she does, she believes that she has slain him yet again...only to discover that all she did was fire both barrels into a camera Hugh keeps for amateur photography. Images goes against the grain established by other psychological thrillers that depict psychosis. They often reveal the delusion right away, which deprives the audience of genuinely sympathizing with the afflicted protagonist. Images maintains these visions for extended periods of time, keeping the audience close to the madness; they are forced to experience it like Cathryn does.
It's been suggested that another one of Robert Altman's films, 3 Women, was inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Persona. Similarly, Images is reminiscent of Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly and The Passion of Anna. Comparisons to the former are more literal, but it resembles the latter in terms of tone and style. Where Karin in the former was schizophrenic and believed that she saw God as a spider, the pervading tension and sense of overwhelming psychological chaos and powerlessness in the latter is ubiquitous in Images. Ingmar Bergman often made films that were described as "chamber dramas"--intimate stories comprised of few sets and actors, which is also true for Images. Additionally, characters in his films--like The Passion of Anna--conceal their past or current affairs from those they ostensibly trust, and their values begin to warp as a result of their mere proximity to one another. Recalling Altman's other early Seventies works, like McCabe & Mrs Miller, dialogue (or the occasional monologue in Cathryn's case when she narrates) comes in quietly, and is punctuated by the occasional scream at a moment of shocking revelation. This underscores that the audience's experience comes largely from absorbing the mood of the scene more than the content of often banal conversations, like the small talk that accompanies putting together a puzzle from Cathryn's youth. Graeme Clifford's editing draws Cathryn's increasing paranoia and hallucinations to the surface. For much of Images, it is unclear whether her double is a figment of her imagination or is actually a real alter ego given flesh. Images even toys with being a commentary on the hollowness of affluence. Cathryn and Hugh are clearly wealthy enough to afford both an opulent city apartment as well as an isolated cottage set on a highly desirable plot of land in a verdant valley. Hugh enjoys his "toys", from cameras to guns, and loves wearing his designer driving gloves at all times. But Hugh seems to view Cathryn as just another one of his toys, like when he "plays with her" about what's for dinner and other things. And despite Cathryn seeming to be a writer of children's books, she does very little actual writing, nor does she appear to need to write anyway. Her lifestyle affords her the freedom to have affairs and let her mind wander into the farthest reaches of her psyche. But for someone like Cathryn, who needs a clear direction in life, this is like giving a child a loaded gun and acting surprised when it goes off.
Recommended for: Fans of a movie that is a "psychological drama" in a literal sense, namely in how it explores the mind of its protagonist by manifesting her delusions on screen. Images features occasional blasts of violence and nudity, but it is really more appropriate for adults because of the complex themes of mental illness, ennui, and the consequences of infidelity that it addresses.