Three women, once best friends, get together on a high school reunion ten years after finishing school. During these years, they have each allowed themselves to become wholly assimilated into their respective husbands' environments. When they meet face to face they suddenly rediscover themselves as they once were, and as they no doubt still are, beneath the disguises their marriages have forced upon them. Confronted with this, the women decide to seize the opportunity. In a fit of sardonic humour they agree to "carry on somewhere else" - children or no children, family or no family. The three then go out on the town. They are thirsty. It's the start of a three days celebration that even takes them to Copenhagen.
During the course of the three-day binge, it evolves in several different directions: There is humour and a hint of tragedy, deadly seriousness and uproarious and abandoned freedom. Conditioned prejudices are uncovered, defences are dropped, and with quiet irony and a good deal of tenderness the film succeeds in exposing the absurdity of the married woman's situation.
Anja Breien, born in 1940 in Norway, graduated from IDHEC, the French film school, in 1964. Her debut as director was the short film "Vokse opp" (1967), based on a medieval legend. Since then she has directed several short films and feature films, among them "Arven" (Next of Kin), selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979.
NFI utenlandsavdelingen/red.
Hustruer.
Regi: Anja Breien , Norge, 1975.
Manus: Anja Breien.
Foto: Halvor Næss.
Musikk: Jan Horne.
Medv: Anne Marie Ottersen, Katja Medbøe, Frøydis Armand, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Helge Jordal, Alf Nordvang, Nøste Schwab m.fl.
Norwegian language, english subtitles.35mm, colour,
1 h 24 min
