Hustruer (1975)

Followed by: Hustruer – ti år etter (1985)

	Directed by: Anja Breien	INTERNATIONAL TITLE Wives COUNTRY Norway GENRE Drama/Comedy RUNNING TIME 84 minutes
	Produced by: Hans Lindgren
	Written by: Anja Breien

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Mie Jacobsen	Anne Marie Ottersen
Kaja Qvist	Katja Medbøe	½
Heidrun Iversen	Frøydis Armand
Pornofotograf	Helge Jordal	½
Pornofotograf	Stein C. Thue
Personalsjefen	Alf Nordvang	-
Mies mann	Sverre Anker Ousdal
Kajas mor	Nøste Schwab	-
Uteliggere	Julian Strøm Gunnar Alme Grete Nordrå	-

Review

Three women in their late 20s meet again on their 10-year anniversary from school and decide to keep the party going in the following hours and days instead of returning to their mundane family lives and domestic duties. This amusing little drama from Anja Breien is a staple in Scandinavian feminist cinema. Still, Hustruer is not a bold, divisive statement; it's a nuanced, cautious cry for recognition and a little more independence. The trio of actresses recruited by Breien to play Mie, Kaja and Heidrun make these characters into complex, sympathetic protagonists who you root for and most certainly will agree deserve what they seek. Anne Marie Ottersen is a bundle of youthful, caged energy; Katja Medbøe is so stifled by her inhibitions that she's about to burst; and Frøydis Armand hides a sensuality she hasn't been able to reconcile with social norms. And Breien, who had made the engrossing Voldtekt a few years prior, writes and shoots them with a spirited spontaneity which made Hustruer an instant favourite among contemporary audiences and critics alike – and has ensured its status as a culturally significant slice of life from 1970s Norway.