In A Family Woman, Suzanne gets an unexpected call from her ex-husband, Magnus, who can't pick up his toddler, London, from kindergarten. Agreeing to help puts Suzanne at odds with her 18-year-old daughter Mia. When Magnus collects London that evening at their old home, the familiar setting forces Suzanne to reckon with their shared past.
The film is written and directed by sisters Anna Arden and Linnea Arden, who also produced it with Kim Magnusson. It is their debut, and HollyShorts London is its UK premiere. The Ardens say the film grew out of frustration with the cliché that a marriage reaches a point where it is time to upgrade the wife, and with portrayals of unhappy middle-aged women whose husbands had left them for a younger model.
Key Takeaways
- The Ardens say they also wanted to examine the idea that men are the lucky winners in a divorce thanks to their reproductive advantage.
- During rehearsals, their dad told a story about another child insisting he was too old to be their youngest brother's father. The Ardens say it became the piece they had been missing for Magnus.
- They filmed a scene with lead actress Christiane's 90-year-old mother but could not get it to work in the edit, and they cut it.
Below, the Ardens answer our questions in writing.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
A FAMILY WOMAN evolved from a deep frustration with the societal cliché that a marriage reaches a point where it’s ‘time to upgrade the wife’. Everywhere we looked, we saw portrayals of unhappy, washed-up middle-aged women whose husbands had left them for a younger model – and we just thought: Bullshit! Where the hell are the cool, strong women? Meanwhile, we wanted to examine this idea that men are the lucky winners in a divorce thanks to their reproductive advantage. It didn’t reflect many of the men we knew that had started over, because when it comes down to it, how fun is it really to run after a toddler in your 60s?
“Where the hell are the cool, strong women?”
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process creatively or logistically, including any moment on set or in post that changed how you saw the story?
During the rehearsals for the film, our dad happened to tell a story about picking up our youngest brother from kindergarten and how another kid began insisting he was too old to be our brother's father. He had to be the grandfather! The kid just kept insisting, no matter how many parents and teachers intervened. It suddenly clicked that this humiliating anecdote was the piece we had been missing for Mikael's character, Magnus. He shares it with Suzanne, and it becomes this tiny moment of connection and self-awareness on his part.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
We're sisters and we wrote, produced and directed this short together. We've always been close, but making this film revealed how much all those years together have blossomed into a creative strength. We know each other so well -- like how Anna has a leg up on the visuals and all the cold-calls producers make, while Linnea writes and writes and writes. This film is our debut and it would never have turned out the way it did if it hadn't blended the best of us both.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
We had convinced our lead actress Christiane's 90-year-old mother to appear in the film. She turned up on a bone-chilling November morning and sat outside, on her walker, smokin' a cig for our scene. She was so freakin' cool. And then we got in the edit and no matter what we did, we just couldn't get the scene to work. We had to cut her out of the film. It still hurts.
“We had to cut her out of the film. It still hurts.”
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
There are so many people whose generosity and talent paved the way for this film to be made. Our production designer, Rikke, became a key collaborator (and close friend) as we all fought to get the film off the ground. Rikke has a style, taste, and excellence that elevated everything in Suzanne's universe - from her tailored jacket to the theft-worthy art on her walls.
In the same way, Suzanne's personality would never have come alive if it weren't for all the hours Christiane was willing to spend with us. Her dedication to the craft is remarkable and we hope this is only the beginning of a long-lasting creative partnership.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
There was a UK study recently that revealed that in the last three years box office hits were more likely to feature a lead actor named Chris or a talking animal than a woman over the age of 60. If the people who watch our film are even just a tiny bit inspired to look at older women in a more favorable light, then we couldn't be prouder.
Where do you see this film going next?
We've been so inspired by the response the film has generated so far that we're just happy if its audience continues to grow. On a more business level, the film is now Oscar-qualified and of course it would be a dream come true to see it nominated.
Asked what they would pass on to other independent filmmakers, the Ardens wrote: "Passion and kindness can get you so much farther than you would ever believe."
Main Cast & Crew
- Suzanne: Christiane Gjellerup Koch
- Magnus: Mikael Persbrandt
- Mia: Gerda Lie Kaas
- London: Saga Lily Marie Majland
- Jesper: Kasper Leisner
- Andreas: Hervé Toure
- Writers and Directors: Anna Arden & Linnea Arden
- Producers: Kim Magnusson, Anna Arden, Linnea Arden
- Director of Photography: Sebastian Blenkov
- Production Designer: Rikke Tvilum
- Editor: Laura Skiöld Østerud
- Music: Henrik Skram
- Sound Design: Peter Schultz
- Costume Designer: Fanny Myhre
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