September (1987) [DVD]

In a serene Vermont country house, six people share their dreams, their fears, and their desires, as secrets are revealed and trusts broken. The cast is led by Mia Farrow, who plays Lane, a woman who has never fully dealt with a long-ago shooting. Elaine Stritch plays Diane, Lane's mother, who never stops talking about her wild past spent with movie stars and gangsters; she is married to Lloyd (Jack Warden), a physicist with a gloomy view of the future of the universe. Sam Waterston plays Peter, a divorced writer wanna-be who loves Stephanie (Dianne Wiest), Lane's married best friend. Finally, Denholm Elliott plays Howard, the older and wiser professor who is coming to terms with his feelings for Lane. Writer-director Woody Allen's SEPTEMBER is a mature, grim, serious film, close in theme and pacing to INTERIORS, very different from such spirited romantic comedies as ANNIE HALL and HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.