One of the more unusual of the many unique films in director Robert Altman’s canon, Three Women originated for Altman in a dream, which may go a long way in explaining the strange, enigmatic tenor of the film. The result is an audacious, richly textured film about two vapid roommates in a Palm Springs, California, motel who are coworkers in an old-age convalescent home. The third woman is a mute painter, who fashions her fears and fantasies into mythic murals. Shelley Duvall highlights the ensemble in a mesmerizing performance as Millie Lammoreaux, a self-assured physical therapist who models her life on the inspirations she finds in Good Housekeeping. Love it or hate it, Three Women is a true original.