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Faces
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Faces

1968
Drama
2h 10m
Richard Forst has grown old. One night, he leaves his wife for Jeannie Rapp, a young woman who does not like friendship... (imdb)
Directed by:
John Cassavetes John Cassavetes
Written by:
John Cassavetes John Cassavetes
Starring:
Seymour Cassel Seymour Cassel Gena Rowlands Gena Rowlands Fred Draper John Marley John Marley Lynn Carlin Val Avery Val Avery Joanne Moore Jordan Elizabeth Deering Dorothy Gulliver Darlene Conley Gene Darfler Ann Shirley
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Genre:
Drama
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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Faces

1968
Drama
2h 10m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 68.96% from 782 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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yesistastyyesistasty
Rated 25 Feb 2011
76
31st
Cassavetes's point is absolutely devastating. It's a shame he has to make it by brutalizing the audience with an hour and a half of drunken caterwauling followed by a brilliant, sober, final 30 minutes.
Rated 25 Feb 2011
magbMagb
Rated 06 Jul 2008
95
94th
This might just be the most appropriately titled movie of all time. Not since The Passion of Joan of Arc has a film had so many unflinching close-ups of people's faces. The bravery of the camera is matched in all other departments, especially the acting. Out of all the films I've seen, I think Faces must be the one that most easily shifts tracks between comedy, tragedy and drama, all at the drop of a hat. In fact, its mood changes so fast and seamlessly that you don't even notice it happening.
Rated 06 Jul 2008
dean_franzDean Franz
Rated 04 Jul 2014
80
79th
Going in you have to know that a rather sizeable chunk of Faces consists of faces telling jokes that aren't funny, laughing for incredible lengths at said jokes or just laughing out of the blue, singing annoying old songs for minutes on end, dancing awkardly and shouting a lot. It's probably Cassavettes most painfully raw movie and all this carrying on seems done mostly in favor of tiptoeing around adressing any of the countless problems in these peoples lives. Excellent stuff, hard to like.
Rated 04 Jul 2014
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 09 Jul 2010
88
90th
Raw and emotional, the copious amounts of nervous laughter that fill this film are the most obvious expression of the internal turmoil these characters hide behind a nonchalant facade. Great use of closeups and space too, showing the characters struggle with their interactions.
Rated 09 Jul 2010
laikalaika
Rated 14 Jun 2009
50
13th
Loud and annoying. Whats with the all the irksome, shrill laughing every five minutes at things that arent even funny?! Lacking the insight of Shadows, and Husbands, this film is average at best.
Rated 14 Jun 2009
owen1218owen1218
Rated 19 Apr 2010
50
18th
What a painful movie to watch. Hard enough to get through, let alone to enjoy. What vapid and tedious characters. Why should I want to be in a room with them for two hours? Criticker hasn't given me such an inaccurate suggestion since Fellini's 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita, which I couldn't tolerate for many of the same reasons.
Rated 19 Apr 2010
cinemahellcinema_hell
Rated 15 Jun 2008
95
94th
A hell of a wonderful cinematography and camera work.
Rated 15 Jun 2008
djrossdjross
Rated 25 May 2020
65
71st
Tend to agree with Kael, Going Steady, pp. 195–99: perhaps she is a tad harsh, but the reliance on characters endlessly laughing or breaking into song seems a bit like a cover for the moments when inspiration fails. Undoubtedly gives a feeling of the despair and hostility that lurks beneath the surface of LA nights, and the performers work hard and sometimes genuinely succeed in conveying that melancholy and impending violence, but somehow the whole thing tends to wear out its welcome.
Rated 25 May 2020
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 29 Jul 2021
83
83rd
There are only about six or seven scenes in this 2h10m movie but each one unfolds like a freeform one-act play. Every character is fully dimensionalized and every performance is as real as you can get.
Rated 29 Jul 2021
coheedCoheed
Rated 02 Aug 2011
30
5th
It's supposed to be a serious drama on relationships, but it fails significantly; it feels artificial and unrealistic the harder it tries to be realistic. With the actors attempting to be spontaneous, it comes off as a failed experimental theatre piece which suffers from its production values too. Thankfully after this and 'Shadows', Cassavetes would go on to make some great films, but they involved more cohesive plots or using genre tropes to go off in their own directions.
Rated 02 Aug 2011
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 03 Jun 2007
4
70th
Throughout, it's not necessarily the most involving movie, but it all comes together to make for a very satisfying experience in the end. There are certain scenes and moments of powerful emotional intensity, and overall, I would say this does as good a job as dramatically representing relationships as anything else I've seen. It's got scenes that perfectly capture real life, the combination of sadness, anger, and laughter that is absent in so many movies.
Rated 03 Jun 2007
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 18 Aug 2009
4
74th
Whether it's a genuine momentary bliss, or the charades of midlife insecurity, I'm not sure there's another film in which laughter is so important. In the decade since Shadows, and with a couple of mainstream studio projects under his belt, here Cassavetes truly blooms into an actor's director. As trite as it may be: these aren't mere performances, but free displays of unadulterated behavior. They're marvelous.
Rated 18 Aug 2009
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
96th
The performances are great here, marred only by some distracting sound sync problems. Doesn't have the emotional intensity of Woman Under the Influence, but it comes pretty close in parts.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 26 Apr 2017
85
98th
Incredible.
Rated 26 Apr 2017
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 19 Dec 2015
74
41st
I'm gonna watch this again down the line but I really couldn't get into the groove of it until the very end. The dialogue seemed disconnected, constantly interrupted by strange outbursts of laughter or rage, which is both a plus and a minus as I had trouble following the events whereas in other Cassavetes films I find myself more into the characters and their stories. Here I felt left behind. You can't be in a passive Saturday afternoon mindset for a film like this.
Rated 19 Dec 2015
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 03 Jun 2007
85
95th
Husbands (1970) does some of the same things better, but this is still excellent. Faces makes you realize the complete absence of laughter (not humor but actual characters laughing) in most movies. This one has laughter to spare. It's also steeped in unrestrained, extroverted dialogue, but most of the drama, the real interaction, goes on outside of speech. Cassavetes' hyper-realism and his unique style of cinematography add up to a deeply personal, easily recognizable cinematic thumbprint.
Rated 03 Jun 2007
feublofeublo
Rated 28 Dec 2022
85
74th
Cassavetes wants to capture the normalized gender roles of American society, which at surface level the expectations and limits of women are blatantly obvious. However, we also see the distraught from men facing their desires while depending on women, leading to our deep, rooted vulnerabilities. Unsettling but leans on the understanding of melancholy within societal expectations that makes it a great film.
Rated 28 Dec 2022
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 12 Jun 2019
70
56th
The constant laughter is a brilliant stroke of voyeurism. Every character is laughing but the audience isn't in on it.
Rated 12 Jun 2019
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 17 Dec 2013
81
65th
Possibly one of the most 'real' and 'authentic' portraits of human beings interacting with each other; an object lesson in why drama rarely reflects 'real life' as real life is by turns shambling, thrilling, awkward and dreary; it takes a film-maker of Cassavetes' skill to shape this quite haphazard, improvisatory material into anything resembling successful drama; it's not always successful but works brilliantly when it is; performances (especially from Marley and Avery) are splendid.
Rated 17 Dec 2013
meerkatmeerkat
Rated 17 Nov 2007
90
81st
Great film. Cassavetes is hard to watch, but this is well worth that. And it's beautiful.
Rated 17 Nov 2007
neonmanNeonman
Rated 02 Feb 2014
61
17th
It has its moments of greatness, but overall it's incredibly testing. Recreates the atmosphere of the conversations of these people, which in this film hardly equates to anything entertaining or inquisitive to watch.
Rated 02 Feb 2014
sebbysebby
Rated 12 Dec 2011
80
91st
Great verite atmosphere. Cassavetes was king of the ugly American film.
Rated 12 Dec 2011
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 25 Jul 2012
90
80th
No other filmmaker approached reality in such a harrowing and honest way. It's a difficult film to sit through, but that's by design, I think. Also, arguably the quintessential Cassavetes film, since it's just a bunch of scenes of drunk people being sad and obnoxious and still somehow really beautiful. (two times)
Rated 25 Jul 2012
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 01 Mar 2008
78
64th
# 437
Rated 01 Mar 2008
jpotiijpotII
Rated 09 Aug 2018
67
65th
Aquário.
Rated 09 Aug 2018
fra_paolofra paolo
Rated 01 Feb 2020
19
10th
I couldn't stand the histrionic acting (further exaggerated by the extreme close-ups), and the despair was too-obviously feigned.
Rated 01 Feb 2020
kalixKalix
Rated 16 Sep 2008
90
83rd
Gena is epoustouflante. Un tableau naturaliste des relations hommes/femmes, un bel hommage au caractere feminin et son role au sein de la famille ainsi qu'une illustration crue et touchante sur le despair and loneliness of marriage. Homemade, flawed, and twisted it is pure madness from the most controversed as much acclaimed as criticized independant film maker Cassavetes.
Rated 16 Sep 2008
drstrangeluvdrstrangeluv
Rated 29 Sep 2010
90
91st
Shadows was a really good, admirable film with some rough edges-- Faces is just an outright great film. The anguish of these characters, captured through Cassavetes' probing camera and tight dialogue feels almost documentarian in its authenticity. These individuals are separated by social class and age amongst other factors, but they are unified in their resignation to the apathy of American society. The script is fantastic, the performances are fantastic, and it's surprisingly funny to boot.
Rated 29 Sep 2010
hotsakehotsake
Rated 12 Jun 2016
40
19th
This film was seriously tedious. The camera movement sucked and the Dialogue was some of the worst I've ever heard. There were a few good part scattered through out the narrative but not enough. This is the second Cassavetes film I've seen and while this is miles above the crap that was "Shadows" it's still not that good or even mildly interesting. The worst part of this film is the fact that a lot of people talk about how realistic the characters in this movie are and my response is who the fuc
Rated 12 Jun 2016
bownBown
Rated 18 Jul 2022
66
19th
Moments of brilliance almost entirely covered up by unbelievably irritating drunken singing, ranting, or laughter. I loved the cinematography and the way scenes could turn on a dime, but also hated every character. It felt odd for Cassavetes to treat them with such scorn and then expect you to feel sympathy at the end. Easy to see why it was so incredibly influential, but so many other filmmakers in the next decade - including Cassavetes himself! - would do it way better.
Rated 18 Jul 2022
judo_koalaJudo Koala
Rated 12 Jun 2020
71
41st
Literally nobody acts in a way that is at all in accordance with how real humans act, instead spending 75% of the film breaking out into sporadic fits of histrionic laughter or song & dance. I realize it's used to connote the characters' reluctance to displaying their true emotions; but it didn't work for me, until the final act finds its rhythm -- too little, too late. Cassavetes' incredible formal style on display simply couldn't make up for the larger disconnect I felt towards its characters.
Rated 12 Jun 2020
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
78
56th
447
Rated 19 Dec 2008
stainStain
Rated 28 May 2007
50
33rd
I want to applaud small experimental films like this, but the neorealists did this kind of thing better
Rated 28 May 2007
miss_jesusmiss jesus
Rated 21 Apr 2008
92
94th
I think this film, despite being one of Cassavetes' best, proves the often-repeated story that he re-edited his films whenever the test audiences "enjoyed them too much." Immensely repetitive and grating in spots, particularly the party at the beginning; otherwise, the content is incredible and it's a masterfully dramatic and realistic film.
Rated 21 Apr 2008
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 03 Jan 2015
6
86th
this is a movie which revels in the mess of real life, riotously exaggerated, as opposed to both your schematic hollywood fictions and neo-realism's brand of deromanticised restraint. but simultaneously, it's also examining precisely what constitutes "real life" and real human connections; it's a film about "mechanical men" and women which reveals flashes of real, naked vulnerability beneath their layers of artifice - a tension that's mirrored by the tone of the film itself.
Rated 03 Jan 2015
guaporenseGuaporense
Rated 12 Dec 2013
0
0th
Worst movie ever made. Period.
Rated 12 Dec 2013
fancymikeFancyMike
Rated 22 Nov 2017
4
59th
Faces is two hours of despair and uncomfortable laughter. There's not a pleasant moment to be found, Cassevetes is relentless in forcing the viewer to confront the darkness of human emotion in extreme closeup. Every scene is very long while ratcheting up the discomfort and denying any sort of satisfying end or closure. It was very good, but also a tough watch that left me feeling pretty hopeless at the end.
Rated 22 Nov 2017
caprimodecaprimode
Rated 26 Nov 2012
80
70th
Cassavetes' uncomfortable film about the disintegration of an older married couple, mostly due to the bordom of the financially successful male. The film is directed with extreme close-ups on all of the actors faces throughout, giving the film a style of its own. Even though there are many tangential conversations, the film remains dramatically tense and holds your attention throughout.
Rated 26 Nov 2012
hulothulot
Rated 13 Jun 2011
60
54th
watched: 2011, 2014
Rated 13 Jun 2011
natebarriosnatebarrios
Rated 26 May 2019
60
33rd
throw this on a hot pan for a bit, cuz this shit is RAAAAAWWWW
Rated 26 May 2019
lisa_iilisa-
Rated 28 Dec 2013
6
83rd
follows a man and a woman in two separate storylines after the man asks for a divorce. it isn't completely focused, but the realistic canvas of characters that cassavetes creates always elevates the drama, and the actors convey complex emotions with ease. there's also an enormous amount of laughing.
Rated 28 Dec 2013
kasperlKasperL
Rated 22 Jul 2020
80
86th
Beautifully shot and often really engaging. I could have done without the Seymour Cassel character.
Rated 22 Jul 2020
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 20 Dec 2006
99
98th
Faces estreava há 55 anos no New York Film Festival. Por muito tempo esse foi meu Cassavetes favorito, mas ele tem tantas obras-primas que já nem sei mais qual gosto mais. Mas o que não me lembrava aqui é que essa é a maior coleção de machos chatos do caralho do século XX. Rá! Box Versátil O Cinema de John Cassavetes.
Rated 20 Dec 2006
janusjanus
Rated 04 Oct 2014
75
64th
No matter how they try to sing, rhyme, or guffaw it away, sooner or later everyone blows up, in moments that are patterned but never predictable. Diminishing returns set in once that's established, but then, should it even be otherwise? Like Shadows, it primarily showcases male anger; a deep well to draw from, surely, but I'd like to see the women break free of their stoic soldiering-on more often. This is not the battle of the sexes so much as a massacre.
Rated 04 Oct 2014
mrcinemaMr.Cinema
Rated 18 May 2021
60
37th
this Film visually reminds me Bresson's pickpocket!! in that movie we watch story of Hands (or dance of hands) , and in this movie we watch story of faces!!
Rated 18 May 2021
gnalkhereGnalkhere
Rated 26 May 2020
69
39th
Everyone is in top form here, but now, having seen this, I fully understand Seymour Cassel's legendary status. I initially was smitten with his soft presence in Wes Anderson's films but now I'm in awe of him. The film looks like it's from the perspective of a housewife who's been prescribed ill-advised medication for not being happy with their life
Rated 26 May 2020
doyler29doyler29
Rated 18 Sep 2020
80
68th
It's not my favourite Cassavetes film. It has a tendency to feel more like an acting exercise than a fully fleshed out film. I don't really mean that as a serious criticism, I just think he got better at this as he went on.
Rated 18 Sep 2020
canguroCanguro
Rated 15 Dec 2008
100
99th
Humanity.
Rated 15 Dec 2008
xacviantxacviant
Rated 16 May 2012
88
85th
FACES plunges into the drunken maelstrom of butchered songs, empty jokes, and emptier insights which make up the lives of a unhappy couple, their lovers, and their circle of equally grim friends. It may sound sensational, but it feels very real, in no small part due to the brilliant acting from John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, etc., John Cassavetes' unflinching script and direction, and Al Ruban's cinematography, which captures the titular faces with gorgeous graininess.
Rated 16 May 2012
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 14 Jan 2010
77
54th
469
Rated 14 Jan 2010
hehejajahehejaja
Rated 26 Apr 2008
85
84th
A fantastic film radiating a feeling of unfeigned despair.
Rated 26 Apr 2008
auhasarderikauhasarderik
Rated 25 Apr 2019
5
22nd
Grand, absolutely overdone sad drunkenness-realité, akin to hearing somebody playing the same note on the piano for two long hours. The peaks are high, but the shape is absurd.
Rated 25 Apr 2019
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 06 Jan 2023
63
25th
I generally really like Cassavetes, but this one didn't particularly do it for me. It's kind of meandering. It's raw and some of the performances are good, but some of it feels contrived and pointless. Feels a bit overdone at times and repetitive. It's not terrible or anything, and it has some good moments, but it's ultimately disappointing for a Cassavetes.
Rated 06 Jan 2023
schnofelschnofel
Rated 14 Aug 2007
56
46th
Cassavetes has really had a bad influence on today's young artistic types. They can't do the intimacy of a broken mind the way he did. Thing is, even he couldn't - his close-ups and stumbling actors are sentimental and grating, an assault. Bergman on the other hand could, sometimes, because not only was he a concise writer, he was also an expressionist.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
icarusIcarus
Rated 21 Aug 2018
83
72nd
Anguish and despair hiding behind all the laughter.
Rated 21 Aug 2018
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 30 Nov 2011
77
54th
#461
Rated 30 Nov 2011
paulofilmopaulofilmo
Rated 08 Dec 2008
73
85th
It took me three goes to get this, but I got it.
Rated 08 Dec 2008

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