Bleak, yet powerful. Truly, the film to put John Cassavetes into the spotlight was this 1968 film, "Faces," which is about one night shared amongst a bunch of friends, in separate paths, as they get drunk and sleep around. We meet Richard Forst (John Marley), who's involved with motion pictures in some way (as indicated in the beginning of the film, though said differently later on in the film.) We meet Jeannie Rapp (the everso grand Gena Rowlands,) who's basically a hooker with a nice house, in which many men come and spend endless time with her, mostly because she's truly fascinating. We also meet Maria Forst (Lynn Carlin,) who's married to Richard, but is utterly unhappy, but her face hides it. As the night progresses, Richard tells Maria he wants a divorce, and then he goes to see Jeannie, and gets involved with a brief fight with another one of her clients. Maria, with a bunch of her girlfriends, meets Chet (a young Seymour Cassel,) who she then has an affair with. This is truly one of Cassavetes' most engrossing, gritty, emotionally involving, and best films ever. It's embrace of the middle-class is so rare, that no other director or film has been able to come close to what Cassavetes has done. The acting, all around, is truly amazing. All of the performances, using improvised and written dialogue, are natural and beautiful in their own ways. Cassavetes' work is not for everyone, which is a given. His other brilliant pieces include "Shadows" and mostly "Woman Under the Influence," which I hail as one of the most best films ever made, period. I highly recommend "Faces" to anyone who's not really familiar with Cassavetes. Shot in 16mm black and white, it's gritty appearance only helps the tone of the film. It's one that's sure to please anyone, even if they find the film to be tedious. But if you ask me, "Faces" is a classic. -------------------------------10