The Constant Woman: A downer that sticks with you

Should you watch The Constant Woman tonight? Honestly, only if you are in the mood for something that feels like a long, dusty walk through a sad person’s living room. If you want big thrills or pacing that moves faster than a crawl, stay away. This is for the folks who like staring at black-and-white shadows and thinking about how much people can disappoint each other.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Constant Woman (1933) through its definitive frames.

Walt is the guy at the center of it all, and man, he really goes through the ringer. Finding out your kid isn't yours after the funeral? That is a special kind of cruelty. The movie doesn't sugarcoat his slide into the bottle, either. There are moments where he’s just sitting there, looking at a glass like it’s the only friend he has left.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Constant Woman (1933) through its definitive frames.

It reminds me a bit of the heavy, slightly exhausting atmosphere you get in Hell's Heroes, where everything just feels a bit too real and a lot too bleak. There is no music swell to save him here. Just silence and some very tired-looking furniture.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Constant Woman (1933) through its definitive frames.

Small moments that caught my eye:

• The way Walt holds his hat. It looks like he’s trying to crush it into dust.
• The lighting in the bar scenes is weirdly aggressive. It makes everyone look like they haven't slept in a week.
• There is a side character who pops up around the halfway mark just to drop a line and leave. I still don't know why he was there, but it felt oddly authentic.

The movie gets a little better when the new romance starts to bleed in. It’s not a fairy tale, thank goodness. It’s more like two people realizing they are both damaged and deciding to sit in the same room for a while. It’s quiet. Sometimes, that's enough.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Constant Woman (1933) through its definitive frames.

I found myself thinking about Marionettes while watching this, mainly because of how characters feel like they are being pulled by strings they didn't even know were attached. Walt is definitely being pulled.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Constant Woman (1933) through its definitive frames.

There is one shot—I think it’s near the end—where the camera lingers on a door frame for like five seconds too long. It’s awkward. It feels like the director forgot to yell cut. But strangely, I liked it. It felt like the house itself was just as tired of the drama as I was.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it the most cheerful thing you will see this year? Absolutely not. But it feels like a real story about people who messed up. And honestly, that is rare enough to be worth your time. 🥃