by Hal Erickson
synopsis
This offbeat Argentine drama is an adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. Delia Garces stars as Nora, the childlike "trophy bride" of well-meaning but hopelessly chauvinistic Torvald Helmer (Jorge Rigaud). Nora puts her reputation on the line to save her husband from financial ruin, but when he reveals that he's still an insensitive oaf, she calmly walks out on him, determined to forge her own life without the "help" of men. The film is well mounted and rapidly paced, and surprisingly faithful to its Scandinavian source. This Doll's House might prove an intriguing contrast to the more famous Claire Bloom and Jane Fonda versions of the 1970s.
