Cinema
Wives
Hustruer
Anja Breien · 1975
Synopsis
Mie, Kaja and Heidrun, childhood friends, meet again at the reunion party of former pupils of their school in Oslo, ten years after losing touch. Kaja, pregnant, is the contented wife of a lawyer; Mie has three children; Heidrun works in a chocolate factory and struggles between her desires and what is expected of a married woman. After the party, instead of going home, they pool their money and spend a few days together, in the streets, the cafés and the sauna, away from their husbands.
Context
The film answers John Cassavetes's Husbands, which the director regarded as a virile celebration of male camaraderie. It was developed with its three actresses, Anne Marie Ottersen, Katja Medbøe and Frøydis Armand, who improvised a large part of the dialogue. Released in International Women's Year, it was a popular and critical success in Scandinavia; it received the ecumenical jury prize at Locarno. Two sequels reunited the three women in 1985 and in 1996.
Who it is for
A Norwegian-language film, with long scenes and improvised dialogue, for those who like stories in which one follows characters rather than a plot.
Prizes and reception
Warmly received by the public and the Scandinavian press alike, the first part of a trilogy shot over twenty years.
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