Film: Queen to Play [Joueuse]
Cast includes: Sandrine Bonnarie (Intimate Strangers), Kevin Kline (Dave)
Writer/Director: Caroline Bottaro (C’est la vie)
Genre: Light Drama (2009) French with subtitles
In brief: Chess? Why would Hélène want to learn chess? She’s a hardworking cleaning woman whose employers all love her. She’s a good mother, even though her daughter’s at a difficult age. She’s a good homemaker and wife, even though her husband takes her for granted. Corsica is a lovely place for a vacation, and one of Hélène’s cleaning jobs is at a romantic, picturesque hotel. The couple on the balcony playing chess looks so much in love. We can see that Hélène takes note of them, even though we’re not quite sure what she’s thinking. When it’s her husband’s birthday, Hélène gives him a chess set… the electronic kind. Why would he want it? He doesn’t want to play by himself. Who will he play with? When Hélène suggests she’d like to play, he tells her he hopes she didn’t pay very much for the chess set.
Hélène is not discouraged. She reads the instructions and plays by her self at first. When she tries to teach her husband, he has no interest. So she asks Dr. Kröger… she cleans his house… to play with her. As she gets more involved with the game, Hélène becomes obsessed. And little by little, she becomes rather good. And as this happens, Hélène begins to make little changes… not big changes… but her friends and family notice. They’re not happy, and they let her know it.
In the chess instructions Hélène reads, “The queen is the most powerful piece in chess.” Yet in her own life, Hélène has almost no power. When she makes subtle changes… wisps in her hair, for example… others express concern. Is Hélène just a pawn? Is it her duty to be only what others expect her to be? There aren’t huge surprises in this modern-day My Fair Lady story. But that said… it’s a fun journey… well played and beautifully filmed. The Corsica locations are positively delicious. It also give us some universal truisms to think about, such as… “If you take a risk, you have to be prepared to lose. If you don’t take risks, you’ve already lost.”
3 popped kernels
An enjoyable modern-day My Fair Lady
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Upbeat
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought provoking
