This unusual film mixes the dreamlike with the gritty: a young college student, Mary-Anne is cruelly raped and, after trying to purge herself by taking a bath (washing/showering is a common first reaction among rape victims), finds herself unable to articulate or cope with the experience, instead losing interest in her studies and unable to communicate with her fussy, rather difficult mother. She abruptly leaves home, rents a slummy room and takes a dull job where she is disliked for her aloofness (she cannot stand to be touched, another reaction common to rape victims). She becomes suicidal and, about to walk off a bridge into water, is "rescued" by a mechanic (Ralph Meeker), who offers her shelter then keeps her prisoner in his pokey flat. Eventually she escapes, seems to come to a compromise with her violent experience, and re-starts her life in a a peculiar way in keeping with the film's overall tone.
There is effective technique here: Mary-Anne's anxiety after her attack is filmed in a dream-like, perhaps surrealistic way as, scared and alienated, she wanders New York's streets ( the shots of the city c. 1961 are interesting); one can feel her pain and alienation. Though the film is not obviously educational, thankfully there are now rape crisis centres for victims such as Mary-Anne.
Note: a pre-Edith Bunker Jean Stapleton has a small, memorable part as Mary-Anne's hoydenish neighbour in her rooming house.
Review of Something Wild
