Everybody's Woman: A brutal look at public shaming

Is this for you?

If you like movies that feel like a slow-motion car crash, you might dig Everybody's Woman. If you are in the mood for something light or fair, stay away. This is pure, unadulterated misery for the protagonist.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Everybody's Woman (1934) through its definitive frames.

Gaby’s situation is infuriating from the first frame. She is a teenager, she is bright, and she is being blamed for a man’s inability to keep his own life together. It’s a tale as old as time, really, but Ophüls shoots it with this cold, clinical eye that makes you feel like you are standing in the corner of a courtroom you can't leave.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Everybody's Woman (1934) through its definitive frames.

The weight of the gaze

There is a scene midway through where Gaby is just walking down a hallway, and the camera lingers on her face like it’s looking for a confession that isn't there. It is awkward. It’s painful. You can practically feel the eyes of the other students burning holes through her coat.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Everybody's Woman (1934) through its definitive frames.

The teachers in this movie? They are the worst. They talk in these hushed, self-important tones about 'morality' while effectively destroying a kid's future. It reminds me a bit of the suffocating social pressure found in The Week-End, where everyone is watching, waiting for someone to trip.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Everybody's Woman (1934) through its definitive frames.

I found myself getting genuinely angry at the screen. That is usually a good sign, I guess? Though I’m not sure I’d call it 'fun'.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Everybody's Woman (1934) through its definitive frames.

Oddly specific details

• The way Gaby’s scarf is always slightly askew in the later scenes. It makes her look like she just gave up on caring.
• The sound of the school bell. It rings so harshly every single time. It made me jump twice.
• The lighting in the headmaster's office is way too bright. It’s like an interrogation room, but for a high schooler.

The dialogue is sharp, maybe a little too sharp for real people, but it hits the mark. There isn't much room to breathe here. It feels like the walls are closing in on Gaby from the moment the credits roll. If you liked the slow dread in Erämaan turvissa, you might appreciate the way this traps you in a corner.

Is it a masterpiece? Maybe. Is it a movie I want to watch again on a Sunday afternoon? Absolutely not. It leaves you feeling like you need a long, hot shower just to get the grime off. 🚿

Some of the background actors seem like they are in a completely different movie. There is this one guy in the background of the classroom scene who is just staring at the wall for like three minutes. I couldn't stop watching him. Maybe he knew he was doomed too.

Ultimately, it’s a story about how being 'everybody’s woman' is just a polite way for society to say they own you. It’s bleak. It’s brutal. And it sticks to your ribs like bad news.