Directed by Martin Scorsese • 1974 • United States
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Alfred Lutter

Martin Scorsese and Ellen Burstyn draw on the classic women’s melodrama, the 1970s road movie, and the burgeoning feminist movement to create a tender portrait of a New Mexico housewife who, after her husband’s sudden death, chucks it all and hits the road to pursue her dream of a singing career, meanwhile finding love and friendship while working as a waitress at a roadside diner. Burstyn was recognized with a Best Actress Oscar for her warmly human performance, while Diane Ladd steals scenes as her brash coworker.