WWJCD?

Every time I see an indie film that seems to be trying too hard, faltering, all those attempts at real behavior feeling so, so forced, I ask:

“What would John Cassavetes do?

I came to Cassavetes’ films later in life, and for me that may have been the best possible time, having some (sort of) emotional maturity and life experience on top of that foundation of cinema appreciation, that made observing his characters so much easier, and so very relatable, but mostly, being able to embrace how admirably life-like and un-forced they felt.