3 Women (1977)

“A masterpiece…I have seen it many times, been through it twice in shot-by-shot analysis, and yet it always seems to be happening as I watch it. Recurring dreams are like that: We have had them before, but have not finished with them, and we return because they contain unsolved enigmas.” — Roger Ebert

SYNOPSIS

New Hollywood giant Robert Altman (Nashville) explores the mysteries of identity and human connection in this haunting psychological drama, among the most audacious and enigmatic achievements of his career. Shelley Duvall stars as Millie, a desperately sociable employee at a California desert health spa whose carefully cultivated persona fascinates her timid new coworker Pinky (Sissy Spacek). When the two become roommates, their relationship takes an increasingly disturbing turn, drawing them into the orbit of a withdrawn, enigmatic artist (Janice Rule). Inspired by a dream Altman experienced, the film gradually departs from psychological realism, allowing personalities, relationships, and even reality itself to undergo startling transformations. The eerie desert setting, Gerald Busby’s discordant score, and Altman’s expressive use of reflections and visual motifs establish a pervasive atmosphere of disorientation and dread. Featuring remarkable performances from Duvall and Spacek, this singular fusion of psychological horror and experimental drama offers a profoundly unsettling meditation on loneliness, self-invention, and the instability of personal identity.