Mascara (1999) (R)

synopsis

Mascara is the story of three very different women who rediscover the value of their friendship at a time when their lives are in turmoil. Panic sets in as they approach their thirtieth birthdays and nothing is going according to plan. Laura is a classic overachiever who is humiliated when her marriage goes sour soon after the wedding. After discovering her husband Donnie has a credit card addiction, Laura must struggle with her unresolved feelings and the pressure from her traditional parents. Jennifer is at loose ends after sacrificing her career to be a mother. Wounded by her husband Ken's one time affair, Jennifer goes on a reckless spree of drinking and infidelity that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear. Rebecca is a free spirit who finds herself flirting with commitment to an older photographer, Nick. But she worries about his excessive curiosity about his own daughter, Daphne. When Nick's son Andrew appears on the scene, Rebecca finds herself drawn into a perverse family affair. An updating of the classic women's film, with the sun drenched sensuality of Los Angeles, Mascara examines the tenuous, torturous life choices these women face.