A New Leaf (1971)
Directed by Elaine May

I’m reminded of a bell hooks quote, “Because we have learned to believe negativity is more realistic, it becomes more real than any positive voice.” Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) has squandered his inheritance, having led a life of profound indulgence, and concocts a plan to wed Henrietta Lowell (Elaine May), intending to murder her for her money. Henrietta, an heiress with her own small fortune and a prolific botanist professor, is oblivious to Henry’s plan, opting to believe in his perceived goodness. What follows is a darkly comic push-and-pull, an observation on the two sides of a coin between good and evil and how any successful relationship demands mutual compromise to get what each other wants. This, unlike some of the other films in the Siskel programming, isn’t so much about torrid affairs or unrelenting passion, but rather on the practicality of building a relationship with someone who offers you something greater than the tangible. The axiom of killing someone with kindness is the preferred mode of vengeance here and May’s film advocates not for petty vengeance or squabbling, but gentleness. Like any houseplant, a relationship requires a modicum of nurturing; we’re meant to bring the best out of each other. May gets it and A New Leaf, for all its deranged and twisted observations on love and marriage, is in a select pantheon of my favorite films.