A 1977 romantic comedy directed, co-written and starring Woody Allen represents one of the highlights of his long and illustrious career. In it he plays Alvy Singer, a neurotic comedian with a history of bad relationships. At the beginning of the film he tries to comprehend what went wrong in his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), a woman he was madly in love with. Then the story gradually takes us back to the moment they first met, the beginnings of their romance, showing a fresh new couple enjoying themselves and each other’s company. Then, steadily, we see their relationship deteriorate until they call it quits. Alvy tries dating other people but feels less than fulfilled. Annie and he reunite briefly and commit to staying together through all the eventual perils, but soon they realize that their relationship simply isn’t working. He makes one last desperate attempt to keep her by proposing. Annie rebuffs his proposal and he goes through the usual stages of dealing with loss. Ultimately, we see them together after a long time, both of them seeing other people, but still being able to talk as friends.
“Annie Hall” was the turning point of Allen’s career, pushing him towards more serious subjects and more subtle humor. The movie won the Academy award for best picture, Allen went home with two Oscars (best director and best original script), and Diane Keaton also won an Oscar for the best actress.