If you’ve considered seeing Blue Jasmine, enjoy the one-woman show that is Cate Blanchett. She’s a stunner in this one.

Please don’t assume I’m degrading Blanchett’s performance to a glib comment about her appearance—she consistently looks amazing even as her character unravels—, but it’s the unraveling that’s truly stunning. Capturing the essence of mental illness in her eyes and facial expressions, her ‘Jasmine’ is nebulous and a bit scary; you’re never quite sure if she’s just about to completely lose it. To be fair, with all the shit that happens to her and her general mental frailty, it’s almost surprising that she keeps it together until the end.

Reserving personal judgment on the ethical and moral behavior of director Woody Allen off screen (don’t even get me started), I’m always surprised by how much I like his movies. He creates and encapsulates tiny worlds with his screenplays, and brings a similar tone but unique finger print to each. They’re like somewhat related siblings in a very large and fascinating family. Really, he’s just capturing the essence of human nature.

We are such interesting creatures, especially when put under stress. Blue Jasmine captures this, and gives the viewer a moment to pause on our own reactions. In those situations, I’d probably go for the xanax too, or at least absorb myself in more movies.