The French movie Les femmes du 6ème étage was shown in the United States with the title The Women on the 6th Floor (2010). The film was written and directed by Philippe Le Guay.
Fabrice Luchini plays wealthy stockbroker Jean-Louis Joubert, who lives with his wife, Suzanne, (played by Sandrine Kiberlain) on the fifth floor of an elegant apartment building in Paris. In the opening scene, the Joubert's long-time French live-in maid quits. The family needs a new maid, and they find one in María (Natalia Verbeke), a newly-arrived Spanish immigrant. Maria is intelligent, hard-working, and beautiful, so you get a sense of where the story is heading right from the start.
However, although this is a romantic film, it's also a film about social inequality and class struggle. That's because the Spanish domestic workers--including María--live on the sixth floor of the apartment building. They have no heat, no running water in their rooms, and no clean toilet facilities. The contrast between the elegance of the fifth floor and the horrible conditions on the sixth floor is the central theme of the movie. The plot revolves around this discrepancy, and how each of the three main characters responds to it.
The director is clearly sympathetic to the domestic workers, although his portrayal of them borders on stereotype. We have to accept the portrayal of all these women as industrious, cheerful, devoutly pious, and willing to accept the conditions under which they work.
One very positive aspect of the film is the great sense of solidarity that saves the women from unrelieved boredom and drudgery. They don't get much from employers or society, but they derive real strength and pleasure from their support of each other.
Some specific points to note. The events are taking place in the 1960's or early '70's. The director tells us this by inserting several references to Generalissimo Franco, the Fascist dictator of Spain, who ruled until his death in 1975. I'm not sure why the movie is set in this period. Maybe the situation has changed for Spanish domestic workers in France. In fact, maybe they have been replaced by workers from another part of the world. I don't have the answer. Also, watch for the great Spanish actor Carmen Maura, who has a supporting role as one of the maids--Concepción Ramirez.
We saw this movie at the Dryden Theatre as part of the excellent Rochester Labor Film Series. It will work very well on the small screen. I don't think it's worth turning heaven and earth to seek it out. However, I believe it's definitely worth watching if you have the opportunity.
Fabrice Luchini plays wealthy stockbroker Jean-Louis Joubert, who lives with his wife, Suzanne, (played by Sandrine Kiberlain) on the fifth floor of an elegant apartment building in Paris. In the opening scene, the Joubert's long-time French live-in maid quits. The family needs a new maid, and they find one in María (Natalia Verbeke), a newly-arrived Spanish immigrant. Maria is intelligent, hard-working, and beautiful, so you get a sense of where the story is heading right from the start.
However, although this is a romantic film, it's also a film about social inequality and class struggle. That's because the Spanish domestic workers--including María--live on the sixth floor of the apartment building. They have no heat, no running water in their rooms, and no clean toilet facilities. The contrast between the elegance of the fifth floor and the horrible conditions on the sixth floor is the central theme of the movie. The plot revolves around this discrepancy, and how each of the three main characters responds to it.
The director is clearly sympathetic to the domestic workers, although his portrayal of them borders on stereotype. We have to accept the portrayal of all these women as industrious, cheerful, devoutly pious, and willing to accept the conditions under which they work.
One very positive aspect of the film is the great sense of solidarity that saves the women from unrelieved boredom and drudgery. They don't get much from employers or society, but they derive real strength and pleasure from their support of each other.
Some specific points to note. The events are taking place in the 1960's or early '70's. The director tells us this by inserting several references to Generalissimo Franco, the Fascist dictator of Spain, who ruled until his death in 1975. I'm not sure why the movie is set in this period. Maybe the situation has changed for Spanish domestic workers in France. In fact, maybe they have been replaced by workers from another part of the world. I don't have the answer. Also, watch for the great Spanish actor Carmen Maura, who has a supporting role as one of the maids--Concepción Ramirez.
We saw this movie at the Dryden Theatre as part of the excellent Rochester Labor Film Series. It will work very well on the small screen. I don't think it's worth turning heaven and earth to seek it out. However, I believe it's definitely worth watching if you have the opportunity.