Rosmarie, Susanne, Ruth

Originally planned as a polemic film about the lack of voting rights for women in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, what emerged was a complex portrait of three 16-year-old girls from different social backgrounds: farming, entrepreneurial and foreign worker families. By revealing the influence of tradition, custom and different milieus on the three girls’ development and self-image, Franz Reichle’s film becomes a highly informative and comprehensive representation of the facts and conditions that shape women’s roles in family and public life.