Adapted from a seven-novel cycle by Agnes von Krusenstjerna, Mai Zetterling’s debut directorial feature is as bold and provocative as its source material. Set on the eve of World War I, Loving Couples depicts the divergent social, romantic, and familial pressures that lead three women whose stories are intertwined (Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom, and Gio Petré) to pregnancy. Though contributions from legendary cinematographer Sven Nykvist as well as Ingmar Bergman cast regulars Andersson, Lindblom, and Gunnar Björnstrand evoke Bergman’s work, Zetterling evinces a confidently distinct vision in her investigation of the complexities—and illusions—of marriage, childbirth, gender, and sexuality. (Mai Zetterling, Sweden, 1964, 118 min., b&w) In Swedish with English subtitles