Wives (Hustruer)

Introduced by Jane Gaines, Columbia University, and followed by a post-screening discussion with Anja Breien

Norway. Dir. Anja Breien. 1975, 83 mins. 35mm. With Anne Marie Ottersen, Katja Medbøe, Frøydis Armand. Having seen John Cassavetes’s Husbands, Anja Breien felt prompted to make a humorous riposte; a chronicle of female exploits. Three former classmates, Mie, Kaja, and Heidrun, now in their 30s, meet at a school reunion. Together, they represent the new post-war generation of middle-class Norwegian women. Following a drunken evening, they make a sudden decision to flee their families and responsibilities; roaming about Oslo, they discuss sex, womanhood, and family responsibilities. Relying heavily on improvisation, the actresses (and co-authors) keep the story flowing within a tight structure that gradually reveals the characters’ inner selves. Wives was an international success, gaining wide recognition for Breien. Columbia University professor Jane Gaines, director of the Women Film Pioneers Project, will introduce the screening, and there will be a discussion with Anja Breien following the screening.