Shadows
Breaking in the Cassavetes' boxset.
It's been just over a year since I've gotten into Cassavetes and the impact it's had on him me is more than profound. Not even in artistic terms when it comes to my own writing but in my own personal life and psyche Cassavetes has allowed me to see more of myself and understand the parts that are the hardest to unravel. I don't think I've ever really felt more seen than I have watching John's whole filmography. His dedication what he believed and whom he loved is evident in every frame and word he ever put to screen.
When I initially saw Shadows I deemed it as a charming yet largely flawed debut but on rewatch and after watching the rest of Cassavetes' filmography I really opened myself up to it on second viewing. The meandering tensions of life permeat so well and the feelings of being disconnected to a world you don't really recognise or feel suited to cut deep. The performances as always are all great especially considering it's most non actors in the cast and the score really conveys the floating atmosphere of the film. I'd definitely recommend Shadows but I would recommend to watch it after seeing a few Cassavetes films as this was the third one I ever watched which I think why it didn't resonate half as much as it does now in retrospect.
Also is John Cassavetes the goat at depicting people laughing. To me any scene where a character is laughing is infectious which is hard to pull off.