Husbands and Lovers

Stefan is married to Alina, but their union has been reduced to a neat schedule: he gets weekdays, her lover takes the weekends. When Stefan grows tired of that brittle bargain he begins to push back, unsettling the rules that once kept him calm. Alina feels pulled toward the dangerous intensity her lover offers, while still recognizing Stefan's steady devotion. Jealousy, desire and control repeatedly shift the balance between the three, and small cruelties escalate into larger conflicts. Their private compromises slowly erode, and personal choices increasingly carry heavier consequences.

The 1991 drama was directed by Mauro Bolognini and draws on material by Sergio Bazzini and Alberto Moravia, featuring Julian Sands, Joanna Pacula, Tcheky Karyo and Lara Wendel. It appears among Bolognini's later films, emphasizing literary adaptation and formal style.

Husbands and Lovers had a limited commercial profile, with detailed box office figures not widely reported, receiving modest distribution outside Italy and playing mainly in festival and arthouse circuits rather than achieving mainstream theatrical reach in several European markets briefly.

While not a mainstream touchstone, the film has been noted in some circles for its unsparing look at marital compromise and the contrast between tenderness and cruelty, and it helped sustain interest in European psychological dramas of the era. Sands and Pacula's performances are often singled out by viewers today.

Critical response was mixed, reflected in a 6.405/10 user average on one database, with praise for the lead performances and criticism for pacing. That 6.405/10 average is based on 42 votes, and opinions frequently split over pacing and tone, while themes of jealousy, power, desire and the cost of unconventional arrangements remain central.