Waiting Women (1952)

In the quiet solitude of the Lobelius family's island summer house, four sisters-in-law, Annette, Karin, Rakel, and Marta, married to the Lobelius brothers—Paul, Fredrik, Eugen, and Martin, who are all entangled in the family's prosperous international business—find themselves in a late-night conversation over coffee. They are awaiting the arrival of their husbands and the boyfriend of Marta's seventeen-year-old sister, Maj, to join them for a vacation. The women and their children have been enjoying the tranquility of the summer house for weeks, and the imminent arrival of the men promises to bring both joy and complications. Maj, full of youthful assumptions, presumes the women's marriages to be mundane and uneventful. This presumption sparks a wave of confessions by Annette, revealing the hidden complexities of her far-from-perfect marriage to Paul. Inspired by Annette's candidness, the other sisters-in-law delve into their own marital confessions. Rakel unravels a tale of an affair and the confrontation that followed with her husband. Marta recounts her initial refusal to marry, her decision to have her child on her own terms, and the subsequent struggles. Karin narrates an incident where she and her usually dominating husband Fredrik got trapped in an elevator, leading to unexpected revelations. As the women vocalize their stories, Maj, silently absorbing the narratives, contemplates her future with Henrik, Paul and Annette's son, and plans a daring elopement. 'Waiting Women' is a tapestry of shared experiences, the uncovering of hidden desires, and the exploration of the complexities of marriage, all set against the backdrop of an idyllic summer house.

Waiting Women is a comedy movie featuring Anita Björk.

Waiting Women is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.

It is also possible to buy Waiting Women on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu and YouTube.