December 11, 2014, 7:30 p.m. — Images (1972), Damages (2001)
Images
1972. USA. Directed by Robert Altman. Screenplay by Altman. With Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi, Hugh Millais, Cathryn Harrison, Susannah York. In a countryside cottage, a children’s book author finds herself tormented by visions of a deceased lover, which she battles with fantasies of bloody violence. Told entirely from the woman’s muddled perspective, this elliptical tale registers like a fever dream, complete with dizzying cinematography and an eerie score performed by Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamashta. While denying the viewer the genre’s usual cathartic payoff, Altman’s take on the psychological thriller—and his fragile and haunted heroine—is powerful nonetheless. 101 min.
