At the World Cinema Showcase, DIANE SPODAREK follows two defiant Swedish women into the sunset in Colin Nutley’s follow-up to Queen of Sheba’s Pearls, Heartbreak Hotel.


Heartbreak Hotel is the Swedish version of Thelma and Louise, except there is no rape, no murder, no crime sprees, no cops, no double suicide, and no (then-unknown) Brad Pitt. So, what is the connection? It’s a movie with two smart, sexy and funny 40+ women as the protagonists, but not a chick flick (not that that title makes any sense to describe women’s point of view in a film.) It is a radical film though because there is no nudity, no sex, no violence and the men look like buffoons.

Elizabeth (Helena Bergstrom) and Gudrun (Maria Lundkvist) meet by accident. Gudrun puts a ticket on Elizabeth’s car who is late for her son’s wedding. They exchange words: ‘Shove it up your arse!’ and ‘Fucking cow!’ respectively. Pretty good start. In the spirit of Almodovar, we see women as funny and sexy. I don’t know if Colin Nutley is gay, like Almodovar, but why else would he, a man, want to make a movie about 40+ women? Maybe he is the partner of one of the actors and he wanted to create a great role for her; or maybe he has a wonderful mother who is sexy and creative; or maybe he just respects women – of all ages – and knows women over 40 are not invisible, in particular not to men.

The men are the ex-husbands who left them for younger women. And they want them back. They never say why, neither one says, “...because I love you!” Both women consider the offer. Elizabeth, the gynecologist knows immediately she is done with her ex in a funny scene where she sets the table for four as the ex-husband walks towards her door. And Gudrun the traffic warden who says her husband is dead, takes longer to realize she can have a full life without going back to her very much alive ex-husband who rates only slightly higher than her interest in crossword puzzles.

Both women have grown children who are embarrassed by their own mother’s behavior. This generation of twenty something’s is going to have to get used to the fact that more and more 40+ year old mothers are sexy, interested in non-committal sex, getting drunk, and having a good time. And they will make mistakes doing it.

The film title comes from the name of a pickup bar with dancing. The music styles vary, thankfully its not all disco. Here the women meet to drink, scout the men, get drunk and try to pick up younger men (Swedish unknown Brad Pitts.). In one scene, two young men turn them down. In a brief sober and serious explanation they tell the women they are too drunk (they should do date rape workshops.) Rejected sexually Elizabeth and Gudrun don’t care. They want to try the toy boys on for size, but when it doesn’t happen, it does not matter. They still have each other.

For the first hour, the story establishes who the women are, their children, their ex-husbands, their jobs, how they met, and how their friendship develops. Then they have the misunderstanding, and the breaking off of the friendship. The action is minimal but the writing is superb in establishing how these women grow and yearn for companionship and freedom both. It’s enjoyable watching these characters slowly evolve into preferring each other’s company to their ex-husbands and the importance of their newfound freedom, but it’s not a lesbian love story. These women are packing condoms in their purses. There were two moments when I thought the film could turn to a more lesbian slant: A look of love in Gudrun’s eye can mean curiosity or love for her new friend. And, when Elizabeth appears jealous about Gudrun’s decision to marry her ex-husband, it is ambiguous; is she concerned for her making the same mistake? Or, has she fallen for her friend?

Who knows where this friendship will go. It appears to be the director’s intention to keep it at the level of friendship all the way to the end when they drive off in the sunset in a convertible, just like in Thelma and Louise. It is such an obvious comparison the director must be making a nod to that American film, intentionally borrowing that scene to say: it’s about the friendship. But after the closing scene, who knows? It won’t be the first time intelligent sexy women prefer women after raising children and ending a long term relationship with a man.

Heartbreak Hotel is a Swedish film but could be about women anywhere. Watching a film with English subtitles, you know you have to pay very close attention. While reading the subtitles your eyes are flickering back to the action; after a while you fall into a grove, you pick up the particular pace of the film and you get a feel for the intention behind the words. It’s then you notice the silences. In the silence, you appreciate the sound of a language different than your own.

A final word on the song Heartbreak Hotel. A female voice covers the Elvis Presley song. It could be the Swedish pop and country singer Jill Johnson. It wasn’t anything to shout about. There are classic songs that cannot be covered. Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley is one of them on my list of “you can not cover these songs”. In the music biz, they say if you cover a song, you better bring something original to it. If the director wanted a Swedish female voice to sing the American title song he could have called the movie “Pissing in a River” (you can’t copyright titles) and asked Jill Johnson to sing: Pissing in a River/Watching It Rise... It’s all the same message: a broken heart.