a comedy about serious matters
Five women meet up regularly at Truvy Jones’ hair salon in a fictional small town in Louisiana. As is often the case in establishments of this kind, the women do not come together merely to take care of their appearance, but above all to take care of their souls. They are as fragile and vulnerable as a beautiful magnolia flower, yet strong as steel to bear the weight of whatever fate may have in store for them. The stories of the new hairdresser Annelle, whose boyfriend has been in prison, the mayor’s widow Clairee, mother M’Lynn and her sick daughter Shelby, and the eldest, bitter Ouiser, whose humour and insight act as a cleansing medicine on them all, gradually develop.
American playwright and director Robert Harling was born in Louisiana in 1951, and in 1985 wrote a short story in which he recorded a sad family tragedy about when his younger sister died of diabetes. This close encounter with this subject, which is depicted in the drama as the story of young Shelby who decides to get pregnant despite the doctors’ recommendations, is undoubtedly the reason why the author was able to capture this painful story so faithfully and authentically. His short story was turned into a stage play that has been translated into seventeen languages and has been performed all over the world since its premiere in 1987. Harling also wrote the film script in 1989, and Julia Roberts shone for the first time in the film adaptation that remains popular to this day. The role of Shelby earned her an Oscar nomination and she won a Golden Globe for her performance.
The melancholic and captivating story about the need for closeness, understanding and friendship, told with a lightness of touch and the necessary dose of humour, is a joyful encounter for both the audience and the female cast.
