3 Women

Watching 3 Women may evoke in viewers memories of Bergman’s Persona and Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. These three films share the motives of intertwining identities, irrational narratives and a distinctive setting whose aesthetic attributes fundamentally complete the dreamlike atmosphere. Though we can assume that the individual films, or rather their creators, are connected by a thread of direct inspiration, all of them remain distinct and unique, and even deal with completely different subject matter. Like the other two, Altman’s film, whose subject came to him in his sleep, can be perceived and interpreted in different ways, but at its core it offers a deconstruction of the position and roles of women in (not only) American society. Each of the titular three women shows a different side of gender roles as a construct of artificially formulated roles that are passed on and the process of merging with them as a kind of disappearance, or at least denial, of one’s own personality and identity. This is brilliantly embodied by the phenomenal Sissy Spacek, who undergoes several transformations of her personality over the course of the narrative, from a wide-eyed, childishly uninhibited girl to a coolly calculating and dissembling vamp. Conversely, Shelley Duvall superbly portrays a woman who follows the absurd ideal of the chattering homebody that was foisted on American women, especially in the 1950s, to the point that there is seemingly nothing left of her own self, even though she is an active character and multi-dimensional personality. Unlike Bergman and Lynch, who from the beginning establish references that lead viewers to perceive their respective films in a different way than as a standard narrative, Altman keeps his film seeming very ordinary for a long time. Only certain details of the characters’ behavior come across as overly naïve or affected, but no special attention is focused on them. The transition to the disturbingly unhinged narrative is thus even more effective when the film seemingly suddenly shifts into a bizarre relationship triangle in which the personalities of two of the central characters radically change. However, the foundations for this are evident from the beginning in the way that the film transforms the usual optics of mainstream cinema, when, instead of the usual objects, it places women in the roles of the central mysteries, forcing the viewers to figure out their personalities and motives. Conversely, the men and their bodies are fragmented and relegated to the second plan, which also highlights the absurdity of the fact that they determine the conditions of everything. The climax is even more radical and otherworldly, as the women are conversely liberated from the men and the roles that have been assigned to them by the patriarchal society and instead live in the harmony of a matriarchy. ___ PS: 3 Women exhibits a full range of parallels with Patricia Resnick’s later screenplay for 9 to 5, in which again a trio of women, portrayed by other superb actresses, oscillate around one man and more literally reassess their social roles and relationships. (07/03/2022) (less) (more)