When man solves all of his problems, he creates more of them.
When art imitates life, it creates a grand tradition of film I like to call:
Affluent White Folks With Problems.
Now, I'm no extreme film scholar, so I can only imagine that this genre of film was inspired by the creators of their theatrical predecessors like Anton Chekhov (no not the guy from Star Trek), Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Eugene O' Neil, Tennessee Williams and so on and so on...
These are movies, in my opinion, in which the characters are their own worst enemies. They usually center around the following: Middle aged people who realize life is not all it's cracked up to be, college graduates who realize life is not all it's cracked up to be, and nuclear families which are actually ticking time bombs.
Some may have an interesting visual style, but their appeal is mainly in the struggles of their characters. In essence, film may be a director's medium, but the Affluent White Folks With Problems film is all about the actors.
1. Scenes From a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman)
Of the AWFWP filmmakers, Bergman is chief among them. Marianne and Johan are completely restless with their comfortable lives as they fight, have affairs, divorce, and have a few moments of clarity along the way. They are far from perfect, but even further from unlikeable. It's almost like reading the old testament the way Bergman shines the light on their ickiest moments, but constantly reminds us of how they're not all bad. All Bergman is recommended, but to further follow the exploits of Johan and Marianne, check out Saraband.
2. The Graduate (Mike Nichols)
Ben Braddock (a 1960s Holden Caulfield) graduates from college and returns home to find that nothing's really changed. In fact, it's worse, because now the anticipation and the hope of what adulthood could be is gone. Now it's here and it's not what he thought it would be. Enter excitement in the form of Mrs. Robinson. Will Ben really be able to fill the void in his soul with his meaningless sex-capades? Will he ever find something for which life is worth living?
3. Who's Afraid of Virinia Woolf? (Mike Nichols-- again)
I know I know. I could have included this with the previous film in the list, but it stands apart for me. It's less about Mike Nichols' direction and more about Liz Taylor's and Richard Burton's whackadoo performances. Now, whether the main characters, George (Burton) and Martha (Taylor) are affluent or not is probably debatable. All I know is that they've got seeeeeeeerious problems which are in no way related to poverty of any kind. These are two people who couldn't possibly hate each other more than they hate themselves. Never without a glass of booze or a snide retort, this married couple play the most wicked mind games on each other and their unfortunate dinner guests. For more Elizabeth Taylor's AWFWP performances, don't check the old tabloids, check out Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
4. Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
Oddly enough, you would think Woody Allen would have more films which fall into this category. However, his affluent white folks usually end up solving their affluent white folks' problems by killing their mistresses (Crimes and Misdemeanors, Match Point) . Michael Caine gives a great performance as a strangely likable, yet very disoriented married man who finds himself enraptured by his wife's sister played by Barbara Hershey. Great cast playing great characters. It's Woody Allen in top form and... it's not as depressing as the usual AWFWP movie.
5. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach)
So far, the only movies Noah Baumbach has made have fit into this category (Kicking and Screaming, Margot at the Wedding). That seems to be the case with most directors of this particular genre. If you're new to the AWFWP genre, you should start here. Divorce, affairs, kids becoming insecure in the mix-- exactly what any AWFWP film should be.
Honorable Mentions:
Vanya on 42nd Street
Far From Heaven
Six Feet Under (okay... it's TV, but whatever)
I'll stop now because this list could go on for awhile.
Enjoy.
