DVD Review: Committed

Committed tells the tale of Frances Farmer, a film actor who was at the top of her game in the 1930s and who was institutionalized in the 1940s. Starring Sheila McLaughlin (who also co-directed the film) as Frances Farmer, Committed has an unusual feel, akin to film noir. It was shot in black and white, and focuses on the relationship between Frances and her mother, as well as the frightening political climate of the time.

It opens with the sounds of footsteps down a hall, a loud and unpleasant sound. And soon we see Frances, in a strait jacket, being pulled down the hall toward us. She is alternately in darkness and under harsh light, made all the more harsh by playing off the white of the strait jacket and the men’s uniforms. She is brought into a bright room, where she struggles against her restraints. It’s a strong opening.

We are soon introduced to Lillian Farmer (Victoria Boothby), Frances’ mother, who rails against communism on a radio show. She urges the mothers of America to save their daughters from communism. She, her microphone, and the host of the radio program, who stands next to her, are in light, but behind them is only darkness, which really focuses our attention on the performers and gives an eerie sense of reality to the piece, as we cannot see any of the surroundings. The host then speaks of mental hygiene. It goes on a while, but it’s interesting to watch Lillian’s reactions, as she remains in frame the whole time. And the unemotional, uninvolved tone of the host’s voice adds to the creepy aspect of the scene as he talks of “mentally superior human beings.”

While there is something of a film noir feel to the film, there is also a documentary style, particularly in the scenes where Lillian is being interviewed. Both Frances and Lillian are allowed to voice their perspectives. Frances has befriended a nurse, and we hear her side largely from their conversations.

The film bounces around in time in telling the story. The scene where Frances is sentenced to 180 days in jail is strange. It’s a series of shots of her cut with shots of the judge, and we hear some of the judge’s lines, but not all. And we don’t hear Frances, but we do hear some jazz throughout the scene, giving the scene a light, playful tone. We also see Frances with playwright Clifford Odets (Lee Breuer), illustrating her relationship with men while also adding details to the political climate.

The movie works in getting under your skin. For me, it happened during the long scene in the loony bin where a patient begins dancing to a jazz tune and then after a while tells Frances, “I was a movie star too.” It’s done in two nice long shots, the first an odd high angle shot (almost like that of a surveillance camera), and the second a wonderful moving shot which goes in on Frances past the dancing girl, then around to other people before back to the two for that wonderfully sad and pathetic line. I also love the scene where Frances and Lillian look at slides from Frances’ career.

Committed is not a comprehensive biography of Frances Farmer, and isn’t meant to be. It’s rather a stark look at a certain time in our culture. And it’s interesting that this film originally came out in 1984, during those horrible Reagan years when once again we were taught to fear and hate the communists.

Committed was directed by Sheila McLaughlin and Lynne Tillman, and is scheduled to be released on DVD on July 21, 2015 through First Run Features. The DVD contains no special features. Sheila McLaughlin also directed She Must Be Seeing Things, which was released on DVD on June 2, 2015, also through First Run Features.