Coming Apart (1969)

An emotionally disturbed psychiatrist (Rip Torn) rents a one room apartment and sets up a camera to record his own emotional disintegration. Written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg, this example of cinema verite is often self indulgent but you can't take your eyes off it. Made for $50,000, the film was rated X when it was released for its sexually explicit scenes. Many critics used the term pornographic in their reviews of the film. Some the sex scenes are still pretty raw and one can only imagine what 1969 audiences thought! Not that we needed it but the film serves as a reminder of what a terrific actor Rip Torn was. The film was scripted but the acting feels improvisitory, fresh and not thought out. I don't think the movie is entirely successful in what it sets out to do but I appreciated its audacity and its attempt to move away from traditional Hollywood storytelling. It's not a film for everyone but if avant garde film making appeals to you, give it a shot. With Viveca Lindfors, Sally Kirkland and Kevin O'Connor.