1977 film by Robert Altman
3 Women is a 1977 American psychological drama film written, produced and directed by Robert Altman and starring Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule. Set in a dusty California desert town, it depicts the increasingly bizarre relationship between an adult woman (Duvall), her teenage roommate and co-worker (Spacek), and a middle-aged pregnant woman (Rule).
The story came directly from a dream Altman had, which he adapted into a treatment, intending to film without a screenplay. 20th Century-Fox financed the project on the basis of Altman's past work. Interpretations of the film are centered around its psychoanalytic elements and exploration of identity.
3 Women premiered at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival and earned positive reviews from critics, who praised Duvall's performance. It was not a strong box office success despite Hollywood studio financing and distribution. After its theatrical release, the film was unavailable on home video for almost thirty years, until it was released by The Criterion Collection in 2004.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.