Separate Ways 1981

Separate Ways 1981
1h 32m | Drama | Release date: May 1981 (United States)

Storyline:

A wife unhappy in her marriage begins an affair with an art student, unaware that her husband, a race driver, is also having an affair.

User review:

A woman lives in an unsatisfying marriage to a car dealer. She catches him cheating on her which leads to her embarking on an illicit liaison of her own. She finds this essentially dissatisfying and decides to separate from her husband but in doing so finds life tough outside the safety net of their relationship, made worse by her missing her young son.

Separate Ways is a slightly unusual release from Crown International Pictures. It doesn’t fit the description of one of their typical genre offerings. It might feature some nudity but it is of a very half-hearted variety and in the main this is a quite a thoughtful drama in many ways. Seemingly it sat on the shelf for two years before a distributor was found to release it but this is no indication that the product is low quality, as in my opinion this is a pretty good domestic drama. It has a few interesting observations about relationships and dependencies. It benefits also from featuring Karen Black in the lead role, she is a much better calibre of actor than Crown International usually are fortunate to have any involvement with and her presence here definitely improves the film. I have found that its often the least typical Crown offerings that often are among their best and this one is no different to that rule of thumb.

Director: Howard Avedis
Writers: Leah Appet, Howard Avedis, Marlene Schmidt
Stars: Karen Black, Tony Lo Bianco, Arlene Golonka
Country of origin: United States
Language: English
Also known as: Valentine
Filming locations: Los Angeles, California, USA