'Love Streams' Unprotected 'love life'

Soulmate

"This is a sweet movie. If I die, this will be the sweetest movie I'll ever see." (John Cassavetes)

Just as Robert falls down the stairs and is covered in blood, Sarah also collapses frequently when her emotions reach a boiling point. The image of her falling is repeated. The two women, who have contrasting philosophies, have one thing in common: falling. More than halfway through the film, it is revealed that the two are siblings. John Cassavetes portrays Sarah and Robert as soul mates.

Sarah and Robert never tell anyone that they are siblings. When Sarah, carrying a lot of luggage, visits Robert's house and the two embrace in the taxi, an overwhelming wave of emotion washes over me. Perhaps it is because John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands are married in real life that this scene has a special, indescribable emotion. And the scene where the two reunite and dance to music in front of the jukebox is amazing. The cheap love hotel scene in Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine (2010) seems like a "variation" of this famous scene. Derek Cianfrance is a die-hard Cassavetes fan.

"Love Streams" (c) MCMLXXXIV Cannon Films, Inc.

Robert leaves Sarah at home and for some reason travels to Las Vegas with his young son, who is being looked after by his ex-wife. Once again, whenever something is about to go ahead, Robert runs off somewhere. The episode in Las Vegas shows that Robert does not know how to handle his child. Leaving his son behind at the hotel, Robert plays around with women. Returning drunk to the hotel room, Robert buries his face in his son's arms as he cries and says he wants to go back to his mother. At this moment, while the son is disappointed in his father, he may also have discovered the attractive childishness (pain) of the man Robert is. Just like the women in this film.

"Love Streams" has a strange, twisty, and tempestuous development, but like " A Woman Under the Influence ," it has an open ending. The film begins and ends in the middle of life. Robert is interviewing a young woman at the beginning of the film. He doesn't really understand the young woman who says that cooking is her joy in life. For Robert, creativity means writing poetry and painting, and cooking is not in his creative dictionary.

I don't know if Robert learned anything from his reunion with Sarah. But it's clear that this film defines life as creation. And life is nothing other than love. As John Cassavetes said, "Love Streams" is a sweet "last will."

*1 Raymond Carney, John Cassavetes "Cassavetes on Cassavetes"

*2 The New York Times [ HOW LOVE AND LIFE MINGLE ON FILM ] by John Cassavetes

Text: Daiji Miyashiro (maplecat-eve)

Movie criticism. Contributed reviews to ``Leos Carax: Movie Wanderer'', Eureka's ``Wes Anderson Special'', Real Sound, Soen, otocoto, Toshio Matsumoto Special Pamphlet, etc.

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"Love Streams"

"John Cassavetes Retrospective Reprise"

Released nationwide from June 24th (Saturday) at Theater Image Forum and other locations

Distribution: Zaji Films

(c) MCMLXXXIV Cannon Films, Inc.