"We all make mistakes." so says Diane, the character played by Elaine Stritch. And many people thought this applied to Woody Allen himself, when he made this film. Allen has made 3 full dramas (not counting the recent Matchpoint) in Interiors, September and Another Woman. Of course, the 'Crimes' story in Crimes and Misdemeanors is often justifiably claimed to be Allen best drama, with Interiors and September being put down as mere attempts to match Ingmar Bergman.
But September is no poor cousin to any of Bergman's films. Like Interiors, September is set in a large upstate house and centres around a group of people, all of whom are troubled in some way or the other. Interiors was a bleakly depressing film but September is realistic in its portrayal of hidden secrets and desires.
Both films are anchored by strong mother characters - the magnificent Geraldine Page in Interiors and Elaine Stritch in this one. Stritch plays Diane Frazer, a one time movie star who now descends on her daughter Lane's (Mia Farrow) house, with baggage in the form of Lloyd (Jack Warden), a new husband, in tow. Diane is terribly shallow and too often drunk, something that induces a certain disgust in Lane, who finds herself passed over or simply ignored. This is made worse by Lane's own history of depression and debt and the obvious fact that neither mother nor daughter really care for each other any more comes to the fore very soon.
Also present are Howard (Denholm Elliot), a neighbour who's in love with Lane, Peter (Sam Waterston in the best role I've seen him in), a would-be author who's staying in the guest house and is the object of Lane's affection and Steffie, Lane's best friend, played with great vulnerability by Dianne Wiest, who had just won her first Oscar for Hannah and her Sisters. Howard loves Lane who's attracted to Peter as a way out of her trouble. Peter falls for Steffie, while Steffie simply doesn't understand what to do. The stage is set very well (indeed this has the atmosphere of a well-acted play) and the tension builds slowly, especially between Lane and her mother until it reaches a climax and a horrifying revelation.
This film works because Woody's dialogue is unbeatable as usual and because the atmosphere is just perfect for the film to play out. The lack of background music is very reminiscent of Interiors but September is a better film, managing to deal with the fractured emotions of its characters better than Interiors. This film plays out slowly, peeling off layers from the facade of the characters and revealing them to be bruised and battered souls, each in their own way. Where Interiors left me cold, disillusioned and unable to relate to the characters, September was much more realistic in its exploration of human beings and how they react to other human beings. I give it an 8/10.
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