A modern day adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

Hanne is an interior designer working from home. Her husband Laurence is an investment banker. The opening scene shows what appears to be a perfect household as Hanne raises a toast to Laurence who has just been appointed head of accounts in a branch of UBS. The following morning, Hanne and Laurence talk of having children, which Laurence’s new appointment and salary makes possible. Hanne has set-up a studio in the house where she works from home and as she sits in it, designing a place for her future children, someone rings the doorbell – it’s a friend from art college, Emily.
Emily once trained as a sculptor, but found it difficult to make a living and thus instead modelled for a more established and well-known sculptor with whom Emily was once romantically involved. As their relationship deteriorates, Emily, realizing that she has nowhere to turn to, goes to her friend Hanne. Emily tells Hanne that she hopes to get back on her feet again, perhaps by working for a bank for a couple of years to earn enough money to setup her own studio. Hanne warms to this idea and, sympathizing with Emily, she lets down her guard and lets slip that she had once secretly borrowed some money from Howard, a dubious business acquaintance of Laurence, when Laurence was seriously ill. Although Hanne takes pride in this act of initiative, the loan came with the condition that she design Howard’s house for free, but this is where her problems have arisen. Every time she designs for Howard, he decides there is something disagreeable and she is obliged to redesign the whole place in order to please him. Convinced that Howard’s pedantry is motivated by his jealousy over her husband’s success, she hopes that by getting Howard a job at Laurence’s bank it will allow her to finally pay Howard off and let her get on with her life.
Howard arrives at the house as Emily leaves and, having found out about Laurence’s promotion, demands that he be given a higher job than Hanne has promised, otherwise he will reveal their past transactions. Offended at his blackmail, she refuses to help him and is convinced that Laurence will be sympathetic enough to understand her.
That evening at dinner, Laurence starts talking about Howard and says that rumours about Howard’s involvement in a number of scandals makes him unsuitable for the job. Hanne barely conceals her nervousness and when Howard returns the following day, he threatens her with additional blackmail, claiming that she forged the signature on the checks to him and that he has retained one of these checks, which he will reveal to Laurence in an anonymous e-mail if she doesn’t help him get the job.
As Howard leaves the house, Emily passes him on her way to Hanne’s and realizes that he is the man whose marriage proposal she once had to turn down because he was then so poor. She runs after him to reveal herself as she professes her regret and suggests that they should marry. However, Howard realises that Emily knows of his attempts to blackmail Hanne and is filled with shame, but to his surprise, Emily advises him to send the anonymous e-mail, for only then will Laurence understand everything his wife has done for him.
As she hurriedly visits Hanne, Emily tells Hanne she has nothing to fear from Howard anymore, but she must nevertheless tell Laurence the truth since the e-mail has already been sent. Caught up in her anxieties, Hanne resolves to ask Laurence to check his e-mail, but when Laurence has done so, he accuses her of ruining his life, and claims that she has no sense of duty or morality. To avoid a scandal, he will do whatever Howard wants. The phone rings. It’s Howard with a message saying how he has returned all the incriminating evidence. Laurence goes to embrace Hanne, but she moves away. Although Laurence claims that he knows that she only acted out of love for him, Hanne lets out a torrent of words as she realises how she has merely fit into whatever shape her husband desired while never realizing her own ambitions. She runs out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

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