Blue Jasmine (2013)

The irony of Woody Allen directing a movie about women dealing with mediocre and abusive men is tragically hilarious. But perhaps he was the perfect one to direct it. Perhaps he's all too familiar with this story, after all, you'd be driven crazy too if you had to live with him.

What's also ironic is that this is one of the few film of his where the women have three-dimensional character development. All culminating with a spectacular performance from Cate Blanchett who more than anyone else makes Jasmine Francis a real person. True is her troubles and anxiety, true is her disappointment with a loveless life of wealth, true is her aggravation from her deceitful husband. Jasmine is a powder keg, and by the film's end, she explodes. It takes everything out of an actor to portray a human being at their breaking point, and Blanchett goes there. It is breathtaking to watch. Sally Hawkins and Bobby Canavale also light up the screen as an engaged couple who's love lives are just as uncertain as Jasmine, but better coping mechanisms to deal. For an at times choppy filmography, Blue Jasmine is ones of Woody Allen's standout films. A film so oddly meaningful and understanding coming from it's sourse.