Late Bloomers

A small village in the Emmental region of Switzerland. After her husband dies, Martha decides to do the thing she wanted to do all her life: turn the village shop into a lingerie boutique. She sets about it with three friends, the village goes into uproar, and the fiercest objection comes from her own family. Bettina Oberli's film is a comedy and at the same time an objection to older women being made invisible. She never makes her characters ridiculous; what she calls ridiculous is the village's embarrassment. It was a large box office success in Switzerland and was talked about there for a long time. The tone the four older actresses build together is the best thing in it.