Wives

‘After Anja Breien had seen John Cassavetes’ *i* *Husbands* */i*, she felt inspired to offer a humorous response: a chronicle of female escapades. Three former school friends, Mie, Kaja and Heidrun, now in their early thirties, meet up at a school reunion. After a boozy evening, they spontaneously decide to escape their families and obligations; whilst roaming through Oslo, they discuss sex, femininity and family responsibilities. The three leading actresses (and co-writers) skilfully rely on improvisation, never breaking the flow of the narrative, and as the tightly-paced plot unfolds, they allow more and more of their characters’ inner lives to shine through. Wives was a major international success and marked Anja Breien’s breakthrough.” (Museum of the Moving Image)