3 Women, beyond being an apt description of the number of women directors we’ve covered in nine years of Criterion Months, is a freaky deaky little movie Robert Altman made based on a dream he had while his wife was in the hospital. It was a forgotten gem for some time, having missed the VHS generation entirely and only become available on home video when Criterion released it on DVD in the mid-2000s. Since then it’s gone on to be a favorite of the Criterion Closet and got another huge bump when Shelley Duvall passed away about a year ago, as it contains one of her finest performances. But is it any good?
In an opening hour that just drenches you in the mise-en-scène of living in a small California resort town in the mid-1970s, we are introduced to Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), a weirdo teenager from Texas who has just started working at a senior health spa as a nurse. She sort of befriends but more honestly gloms onto Millie Lammoreaux (Shelly Duvall), a slightly older and more senior nurse who just so happens to be looking for a new roommate. So soon enough, Pinky movies in.
Millie’s apartment complex has a sweet pool that has been decorated with nightmarish lizard people murals painted by Willie Hart (Janice Rule), the heavily pregnant co-owner of a nearby saloon/shooting range/dirtbike course. The other owner is Willie’s husband, a former stuntman named (Robert Fortier) who always has time to goof around with his neighbors. As tensions mount, things get unhinged.
Despite its opening moments, 3 Women, which I remind you was based on a dream, is more than happy being a bit surreal and disjointed, rather than having a straightforward narrative. It’s biggest success is as a study of personalities, with Millie playing the role of a talkative young woman who nonetheless has nothing to say and is just a bit too much for everyone in her life. Pinky’s fascination with Millie is initially hard to pin down: does she want to be like her? Does she want to see her inevitably fall apart? Does she have a crush? I considered all these possibilities before things got even crazier than I imagined.
I didn’t get to pick Persona years ago, but I feel like I’ve gotten to write about an American version of it now. And let me just say, I’m impressed. I think maybe I should give this movie more than four stars, I was really not in the mood to watch it last night and I ended up having a hard time ignoring it. So if you’re feeling up for it, you could do a hell of a lot worse than spending your time with 3 Women.
I appreciate you consistently keeping the legacy of Review alive.
There All is Aching