Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Single White Female Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 17, 2024

Barbet Schroeder's "Single White Female" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Barbet Schroeder, Lee Percy and Susan Hoffman; archival program with actor Peter Friedman; archival program with actor Steven Weber; arhcival program with screenwriter Don Roos; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A rational person will see red flags everywhere and act appropriately to avoid what is clearly on the horizon. Would you continue to share an apartment with someone who flirts with your significant other whenever he visits, buys the exact same clothes you have in your closet, and chooses the exact same haircut and hair color you have? Would you continue to tolerate that someone if you discovered mail you should have received in that someone’s room? What if you are the visiting significant other? Would you not want to immediately pull out the person you care for from this strange situation?

In Barbet Schroeder’s film Single White Female a lot happens that defies basic logic. But it is easy to understand why. It keeps its story moving forward and allows it to expand its suspense and drama. If one of its characters recognizes the obvious and does what makes perfect sense twenty minutes into it, then the film must end. As a result, there is a lot of pretending that the obvious is not obvious, which is why the film is impossible to take seriously.

At the center of the story is the supposedly complex relationship between two young women sharing an apartment in New York City. Alison (Bridget Fonda) is a busy professional with a rapidly improving career who is madly in love with a handsome man (Steven Weber). Hedra (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has no job or someone special in her life. At the end of each month, she gets a check in the mail that allows her to pay the rent and buy food. The two are not old or recent friends. They meet after Alison posts an ad in the local paper and Hedra comes through her door, without even ringing the bell.

The pretending begins immediately after Alison becomes comfortable with Hedra and the two start behaving like good old friends. Alison does not notice that Hedra is jealous of everything she has -- her beauty, her boyfriend, a life worth living -- and routinely copies and borrows as much of it as possible. By the time Alison recognizes that Hedra is not just kind to her boyfriend but working hard to seduce him, the latter is already a classic psychopath and acting like one. The worst of the pretending is during Hedra’s final encounters with Alison’s boyfriend and her shady boss (Stephen Tobolowsky), where both make the most unintelligent decisions to help her take them out.

Schroeder is an interesting director, who early in his career made some very interesting films. For example, More and The Valley are unorthodox explorations of the hippie culture with iconic soundtracks created by Pink Floyd. Maitresse offers a trip to a much darker place that very few films had dared to visit. Cheaters follows a pair of gambling addicts. Barfly enters the strange universe of the legendary Beat Generation writer Charles Bukowski. All of these films are very well done.

Single White Female looks and feels like the creation of a European director who tried his best to meet the expectations of a major Hollywood studio that wanted to reshape him into a Hollywood director. It is one-dimensional, riddled with clichés, and artificial in that off-putting way only mediocre Hollywood projects can be.

Oddly enough, it is not a badly acted film. Its two female leads are actually quite good, while its supporting male cast is silly but hilarious. Its problems come from the bad and at times idiotic screenplay, as well as Schroeder’s reluctance to move away from it. Some parts of its story are simply incompatible with other parts, leaving the impression that someone could not quite figure out if it should be a serious film or a parody.

Single White Female Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Single White Female arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an old master supplied by Sony Pictures. This is the same master that the major has licensed to various labels around the world, including Shout Factory in the United States. (I have this Australian release which is sourced from the same master as well).

Unfortunately, this master has many limitations that give the film quite the dated appearance. For example, in many areas with fine nuances and especially panoramic shots with plenty of light delineation and depth are unconvincing. Highlights can be particularly underwhelming, so most brighter nuances tend to be problematic. Darker areas and backgrounds look more convincing, but in several areas the grain becomes mushy. At the same time, it must be said that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments, though you should not interpret this as a confirmation that the film has a stable organic appearance. If properly remastered in 2K or 4K, it will have a dramatically better and much more attractive organic appearance. Color balance is stable. However, this is another area where many substantial improvements can be made. Several primaries and entire ranges of nuances need to be properly rebalanced, plus they should look a lot healthier. Image stability is very good. All in all, I would say that this release offers a passable, occasionally decent presentation of the film. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Single White Female Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless track is very good. However, I was not surprised because older masters that emerge from Sony's vaults usually have solid audio tracks. The music score is very active and is responsible for plenty of memorable contrasts, which the lossless track reproduces very well. Can a remastering job produce a superior audio track? I am unsure. If there is any room for rebalancing work, it is likely quite small, so these fictional improvements will probably be insignificant. A brand new Dolby Atmos track might be able to deliver better results.

Single White Female Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Barbet Schroeder, Lee Percy and Susan Hoffman. The bulk of the information shared in the commentary addresses the filming of various sequences, specific locations that were selected, the qualities of the main characters and their interactions with other characters of importance, the evolution of the drama, etc.

• Barbet Schroeder: New York Interview - in this archival program, Barbet Schroeder recalls how he became involved with Single White Female, which was his first film for a major studio in America, and its evolution from screenplay to screen. Also, there are some interesting comments about the casting choices that were made. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Peter Friedman: Upstairs with Graham Knox - in this archival program, actor Peter Friedman recalls how he was cast to play his character in Single White Female and his preparation work, how certain sequences from the film were shot, and a few things that apparently terrified him while the camera was rolling. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Steven Weber: The Fiance Sam Rawson - in this archival program, actor Steven Weber recalls his interactions with Barbet Schroeder (who apparently liked him a lot) during the shooting of Single White Female and discusses his character and some of his dilemmas and choices. Weber has some hilarious comments about Dario Argento, too, which whom he worked on a different film. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Don Roos: SWF Seeks Writer - in this archival program, screenwriter Don Roos explains how the rights to John Lutz's novel S.W.F. Seeks Same were acquired and he was hired to adapt it, and discusses his work on the screenplay that was used to make Single White Female. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Anna Bogutskaya: She'll Follow Your Anywhere - in this new program, critic Anna Bogutskaya discusses Single White Female. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Single White Female. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Single White Female.

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet with a new essay by Georgia Humphreys, archival essays, a contemporary article on the making of the film, and technical credits.

• Cover - a reverisble cover.

Single White Female Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Barbet Schroeder's first big American film borders on self-parody. It defies basic logic in seemingly countless different ways, while demanding that its audience does not notice, even when the obvious is impossible to ignore. Needless to say, it produces plenty of very awkward, often artificial material. This is unfortunate because several of Schroeder's earlier films are very interesting, hugely atmospheric, too. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release is sourced from an older master, but has a good selection of bonus features.