Wanda, 1970

Wanda shows up late to divorce court with curlers in her hair. She tells the judge that the children are better off with her coal miner husband and she has no objection to their divorce. She tries to get work in a clothing factory where she had worked before for a few days, but she's told that she worked too slow. A traveling salesman buys her a drink in a bar and we next see them in bed together in motel room, him trying to sneak out without speaking to her. She goes to a movie, falls asleep, wakes up and discovers that she's been robbed.

The story actually picks up pretty good after that, becomes a grimly realistic crime movie.

Barbara Loden directed and starred. She had been an actress who appeared on stage, became a regular on Ernie Kovaks old show and appeared in Wild River and Splendor in the Grass directed by her second husband, Elia Kazan.

Made for a hundred fifteen thousand dollars in 1970, filmed in 16mm in long takes in a documentary style that gave it the feel of a zero budget movie but with a bigger cast and better locations. Filmed with a crew of four.

A brilliant film, shot in Scranton, Carbondale, and Philadephia, Pennsylvania among other locales.

It was Barbara Loden's only feature. She died of cancer in 1980 at age 48.

Available on The Criterion Channel.