Culture

A Cinderella story in reverse, Jean-Louis Joubert is a successful stockbroker living a life of upper-middle-class refinement in early 1960s Paris. He works the same job and occupies the same lavish apartment as his father and grandfather did before him, expecting to do so for the rest of his life, just as he expects to remain bound in a passionless marriage to his anal-retentive, socialite wife, Suzanne.

However, Jean-Louis’s monotonous lifestyle of shares, bonds and perfectly boiled eggs is shaken up in the form of their new maid, Maria (Natalia Verbeke), a charming but headstrong new addition to the community of Spanish immigrants fleeing Franco’s oppressive dictatorship who inhabit the building’s sixth floor. Soon enough, Jean-Louis’s (slightly creepy) attraction to Maria develops into full-on adoration for all of the maids and their Spanish flava, who breathe a bit of life into his dull existence. Following a misunderstanding with his wife, Jean-Louis is kicked out and opts to live upstairs with the maids. Here, for the first time, he can finally let his hair down, joining them as they all sing and dance, drinking wine and munching paella while they iron shirts.

If you’re looking to see something with a bit of substance, this movie is probably not for you. Similarly, if you have a penis, this movie is most likely not for you either. Despite an attempt at a political subtext with the proletariat vs. bourgeoisie thing, the over-simplified, fantastical portrayal of life as an immigrant servant plus the clichéd ending renders it a little absurd. However The Women is “light comedy” at its finest and, undeniably, many a chuckle was had as I sat alone in the theatre on a Tuesday morning. All in all, a distinctly pleasant albeit inconsequential film. Muy bien!

- Becky Ruthers