Ladies Room (1999)

Women wait in an ethereal room, perhaps dead in a Purgatory. The relationships between pairs of younger and older women take surprising turns as they watch the last few days of their lives on a TV screen.

Director:

Gabriella Cristiani

Writers:

Leila Basen, Natalina Di Leandro

Stars:

Molly Parker, Veronica Ferres, Lorraine Bracco

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Molly Parker	...	Julia
Veronica Ferres	...	Lauren
Lorraine Bracco	...	Gemma
Greta Scacchi	...	Lucia
John Malkovich	...	Roberto
Alan Fawcett	...	Bill (as Allan Fawcett)
Dorothée Berryman	...	Bag Lady
Steve Bratzlaff	...	Filippo
John Glasspoole	...	Adam
Linda E. Smith	...	Kelly (as Linda T. Smith)
Yahsmin Daviault	...	Bree
Anne Dryburgh	...	Wig (as Anne Dryburg)
Genevieve DuPaul	...	Dancer Student #4
Julien Irwin Dupuy	...	Young Boy
Gillian Ferrabee	...	Luella (as Gillian Ferra Bee)

Storyline

In an ethereal, high-ceilinged room, women stand, waiting. Perhaps it's Purgatory and they're dead. In the room, two young women, one an actress and the other a psychologist, watch the last few days of their lives on a TV screen. Both are having affairs with married men, each has a long encounter with her lover's wife, and both these scenes take place in a ladies' room, one backstage at a play that's about to preview, the other at an opera house during the first act. The relationships between each pair of younger and older women take surprising turns, and in the room with the TV, a sylph asks probing and challenging questions of the two young women as they watch.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | pantyhose legs | sexy woman | blonde woman | thin attractive woman | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Inspired by Bellini's opera "Beatrice Di Tenda."

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Quotes

Lauren: I didn't know you were pregnant
Lucia: [Pointing to stomach] What do you think this is? A cushion?

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Soundtracks

Beatrice di Tenda
(extracts)
Music by Vincenzo Bellini

User Reviews

Witty and unusual

This is an off-beat yet charming feminist comedy with a deft dialogue and great photography. The cast is top-notch, in particular Lorraine Bracco and Molly Parker. However John Malkovich's unconvincing turn as Italian Lothario Roberto is both funny and embarrassing but you wonder if that was the intention in this slyly witty Italian production set in Montreal. The conceit of the ladies room is handled well and becomes the centrepoint for anxiety and female companionship. This is, in effect, a celebration of female solidarity in a very surreal, Italian way with a quirky Canadian twist. It's not for everyone's taste but it's better than most films that call themselves comedy today. Expect the unexpected.

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1999 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Ladies Room

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Transfilm, Ciné-Roman Inc., Smallrain

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color