Elisabeth, a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology, got a parking ticket from Gudrun, a parking attendant. They argue fiercely over the parking ticket. They meet again later when Gudrun visits Elisabeth’s clinic to get a check up and get along well after discovering that they are both divorced and have adult children. Care-free Elisabeth suggests to Gudrun, a naive and gullible woman, that they have fun at the Heartbreak Hotel. Gudrun who had been depressed since her husband left her for another woman agrees and enjoys the night life with Elisabeth. While they are out on the town, Gudrun’s ex-husband comes back to ask her to reconcile, and her daughter tries to dissuade her from her new life in the fast lane. Her husband’s visit shakes her up, especially since she has already told Elisabeth that her husband is dead. But Gudrun chooses her new friendship over her unfaithful ex-husband by taking a trip with Elisabeth. Throughout the film, they drive the same car that was the cause of their original argument over the parking ticket. Heartbreak Hotel was written by Colin Nutley, who was nominated for the Academy Award for a foreign film for Under the Sun, and his wife, Helena Bergström, plays the role of Elisabeth. This film is a Swedish comedy that suggests that woman in their 40’s are neither ending nor beginning their lives and that divorce is not an ending but rather a shift in focus that can bring about good friendships and the discovery of a new set of values. (KIM Sunah)