Why you can trust 12DOVE
Films about the theatre tend to be arch and ironic, like All About Eve or Being Julia. As you might expect, coming from indie godfather John Cassavetes, 1977’s Opening Night is something else, a weird, raw, ragged portrait of an actress on the verge of a nervous breakdown. (Pedro Almodovar signaled his love for this movie by recreating a key sequence for All About My Mother.) Gena Rowlands gives one of her bravest, most startling performances here, waging guerilla combat with the demands of a play she can’t abide, wrestling with demons so real they kick her in the teeth. It’s a film about getting old, no longer recognizing the face you see in the mirror, and recommitting body and soul to that cliché: the show must go on.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.

A new Batman #1 from Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez launches this September with a "revamped aesthetic," a throwback costume, and a new Batmobile

Marvel reveals its full slate of May 2025 comics and covers featuring the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and more

Former Witcher 3 lead says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker has a smaller open world because "it feels more like you actually know the place" compared to "behemoths"