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I watched this movie in the cinemas in Madrid, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not haven seen or heard anything about the movie, except for the posters, I did not know what to expect.

This movie is about the lives of prostitutes, and is not groundbreaking in selection of topic. The manner, in which it is portrayed, however, is perfect. Not being caught up in the American standards, Fernando León de Aranoa has gone his own way, making Princesas a great, original movie. When that has been said, it does contain a few clichés that keeps this movie from reaching it's full potential.

Candela Peña fits perfectly in the role of Caye, and she does an amazing job conveying the emotions of her character to the audience. Even more so this time than she did in 'Todo sobre mi madre'. In one of the last scenes, she is on a date with a guy she hit it off with (that does not know what she do for a living), and the feelings she displays... It makes you wonder how the crappy Hollywood actresses (of course not all of them) got their jobs, considering there are others out there, who just leave them in the dust.

If you're looking for a realistic movie about prostitution, or just a story to live yourself into - take a look at this.

We can say that Fernando León De Aranoa is a demagogue because he tells the truth and denounces the injustices of our society. We can say that he usually makes up such forced situations, but fiction will never be as rude and hard as reality. You may hate all that "social realism" stuff, the "Costumbrism" and so.. but still they are the base of many of the masterpieces in the history of European cinema.

After the kids of "Barrio", after the unemployed of "Los Lunes Al Sol", now it's the prostitutes' turn: their "day by day", their dreams and their hopes, the racism some of them have to suffer, and lots of urban philosophy (at the end of the day that's the most valuable philosophy, 'cause it comes right from people's guts). Is it too obvious to say that Fernando León is one of the best Ken Loach's pupils? Well, if it's obvious then it's true too...

Candela Peña said he was looking forward to work with F. León, that it was her dream, and I'm sure that Fernando have always dreamed of finding an actress like Candella: she's so real.

I don't know if this is the end of a "social trilogy", and maybe FLA will go back to comedy (as in "Familia") for his next movie... Whatever, I'm sure it will be such a great work.

PS: "Si La Vida Te Da" ("If life gives you..."), what a beautiful song. I don't like Manu Chao that much, but I love that tune...

*My rate: 8/10

Caye is saving up for a boob job. She gets her money as Lima, whoring in the streets of Madrid. Every week she eats dinner with her family and worries abut her mother's increasingly slippery grip on reality. And she has theories on Princesses and their attachment to nostalgia. Caye has no past to be nostalgic for, so she is sad for her lost future. She meets illegal immigrant and fellow prostitute Zulema, and the friendship brings her some respite. But nothing good lasts forever...

Princesas is a poetic work, shot cinema verite style showing in uncompromising detail the degradation and danger that accompanies these women's lives. Candela Peña is engrossing as Caye, with no past to comfort her, and unable to see a better future, stuck in an eternal present. Her only hope is that there is not another life like this one. Zulema, the stunningly beautiful Micaela Nevárez, is compromised by a government bureaucrat lowlife who dangles just enough hope in front of her to facilitate his need to abuse. This relationship must be the only time in cinema history where a character looking for revenge packs a knife in her bag, and the audience never sees it again. Zulema, however, at least has a Pyrrhic victory of sorts (though the film falters slightly here, as it is unclear exactly who is infecting whom...)

A snapshot of lives lived in shadows and on the edges of our civilization, this is lyrically written, and shot in an unobtrusive, straightforward manner. Touching, truthful and ample food for thought.

Fernando León De Aranoa's film Princesas, is a touching and emotional journey about two young women who work the streets of Madrid, out of pure desperation. They are in hopes of starting a new life. It isn't the typical Hollywood prostitute movie; it is much more than that. It is a very agonizing movie that puts you in these intense characters shoes, and you try to understand how they deal with their day to day struggles. Aranoa gives perspective and creates this underlying sympathy that continuously tugs at your heart strings.

I felt for Caye the minute the movie started and she was walking into that hospital room to show the young boy a good time. How humiliating I thought to myself, but she had no choice. Again you feel for her when you realize that she is living a double life. She tries to enjoy a quite lunch with her family but her phone is constantly antagonizing and bringing her back to her reality, which for me seems like a living hell. I have seen movies before about prostitutes like "Pretty Woman," a typical American Hollywood film. It is sad and then it has a typical happy ending. Princesas is raw and real, it doesn't turn Caye and Zulema's lives into a fairy tale. It is refreshing to see an original and genuine film about an issue that is prevalent in the world today. There are women all over the world that have no other choice. I feel like Aranoa's film is giving these women a voice. Prostitutes are people, and they do what they can to survive.

To my recollection, I have only seen one other movie about the lives of prostitutes. Sure there was Pretty Woman, but that really didn't get into the actual work. This film is different and really does a great job showing the less glamorous side.

Fernando León de Aranoa wrote and directed the film and it moves along well. It certainly keeps your interest. The soundtrack is also a big plus.

Candela Peña (All About My Mother) is Caye, who rarely smiles as she deals with her mother, who seems to be losing it, and tries to establish a real relationship that keeps bumping up against her occupation.

A new actress, Micaela Nevárez is Zulema, who is consumed with the child she left in the Dominican Republic. She is trying to get papers to get out of Spain, and is taken advantage of by a sleazy public official. She gets revenge in an unusual way.

Together Caye and Zulema are friends and they try to survive in spite of their occupation. It is a times funny, and certainly sad as they try to find that opening to a better life.

When I saw Los Lunes al Sol, another Spanish film from the same Director, I could almost feel what it was like to be an unemployed man in our society. I thought Princesas would be at least a bit realistic regarding the life of a prostitute. I was wrong. The film is cute, has some rhythmic music, the two main characters are likable, etc. but the story is way too light. The film touches from far away certain issues like exploitation, venereal diseases, racism, etc. but it NEVER gets into reality. The general feeling is like being a prostitute is more fun that any other thing... just a step below "Pretty Woman". Princesas is definitely just a commercial film and (besides some acting)has nothing to be considered high quality.

"Princesas" is one of them. After seeing Fernando León de Aranoa's wonderful film "Los Lunes al Sol" (qv), I was hungry for more. I am a great lover of cinema which has either been taken from live theatre or which delve into the realness of the human condition, of human feelings, which explore the depths of what makes people tick, of what makes people think, feel, love, hate, of what makes people on celluloid be real live living people with character and personality and deep feelings. In this aspect "Princesas" is a beautiful, moving, thoughtful piece which deserves great accolade. I left the cinema with very very deep feelings running through my heart and mind, such that I missed the bus-stop, and in the end walked all the way home - about three kilometres!

Without any doubt, the young Spanish directors Amenábar and León de Aranoa are now well above the more famous Almodóvar. "Princesas" is about prostitutes. Well, forget that: it is about two beautiful people who find themselves working the streets - and the mobile (cell) phone - to get clients. But it is also about friendship, love between two women who have had to drop out into the seamier world of the big cities - in this case, Madrid.

León de Aranoa treats the subject matter with such poignant delicacy, with such understanding sensitivity, with such superb and tasteful exquisiteness, that towards the end of the film more than one little tear dropped from my eyes. And that does not often happen.

Candela Peña, (Todo sobre mi madre, qv) (Te doy mis ojos, qv), and Micaela Nevárez in her first film, offer us superb readings of their characters; both are superb; both won my heart. The chemistry between these two young women - Spanish and Dominican - was so magnificent, you would swear they had lived all their lives together. They had me feeling for them, for their situation, for their loves, and desires, and hopes, and Zulema wanting to get back to her child in the Dominican Republic.

The music by Manu Chao and Gato Pérez was at times a little over strident, but befitting the telling of the story. (There are also other pieces of music not yet mentioned in IMDb).

Ramiro Civita's photography, especially in the facial close-ups is astounding, bringing out the best of the actresses feelings, anguish, torments. Superb work, though some scenes with hand-held camera were at times chaotic. Nevertheless, I pass over this.

The same as in "Te doy Mis Ojos"(qv) we have here an important sociological document in the form of a film with a story to tell. Women find themselves in bad situations directly due to men's vain and stupid attempts at being superior over them. Men fail miserably; as I have said in "Te doy mis ojos": this film makes me feel ashamed of being a man. So does "Princesas". A beautiful, warm, tender, hard story, so wonderfully told.

I shall see this film again before it is taken off from the local multi -cinemas, and will buy the DVD as soon as it is in the shops.

Here is another film to add to the best six Spanish films of all times:

El Sur

Los Santos Inocentes

Mar Adentro

Princesas

Te doy Mis Ojos

A los que Aman (all commented on in IMDb)

Caye (Candela Peña) is a thirty-something woman from the neighborhood who dedicates herself to prostitution to get the money necessary for cosmetic breast augmentation surgery. She doesn't plan to dedicate her entire life to him, but it's hard for her to get out of this routine in which she's already up to her neck. Zulema (Micaela Nevárez) is an undocumented immigrant who urgently needs money to send to her family so she can bring her son to Spain. She works hard on the streets. She doesn't have a home and, to make matters worse, she arouses resentment among her Spanish classmates who see her as a competitor. Hard lives on the Spanish streets! They lived on the streets waiting for a better life!

A short film ¨Sirenas¨ and three feature films ¨Familia¨, Barrio¨ and the multi-award-winning ¨Los Lunes al Sol¨, made director Fernando León one of the most prominent and respected figures on the Spanish film scene. In this his fourth film, of which he is also the screenwriter, Fernando León de Aranoa proposes a story about the daily life of women dedicated to the oldest profession in the world. The director creates a kind of Spanish neorealism by addressing the way of life of prostitutes in the so-called popular neighborhoods and from a sociological point of view; The two main characters are accurately portrayed. His style is quite urban and realistic both in the atmosphere and in the fresh dialogues and he tries to position himself in favor of the marginalized. The filmmaker Fernando León shows the ugliness of those neighborhoods, the harshness and the cold existence along with some nice scenes in which the strong friendship that little by little is developing between the two attractive protagonists, phenomenally played by Candela Peña and Micaela Nevarez, predominates. . . It turns out to be a small story about street people, immigrants and everyday problems, from which an attractive and sensitive film becomes something big and unique. For this he had two good actresses: Candela Peña (¨Te dio mis ojos¨, ¨Torremolinos 73¨), winner of two Goya awards for her performances in ¨Te Doy mis Ojos¨ and in this ¨Princesas¨. Along with her, the debutante and winner of the Goya for best new actress for this role Micaela Nevárez, becoming the first Puerto Rican actress to win such an award and who unfortunately was never heard from again after this film. The film also won the Goya for best original song, which went to "Me Llaman Calle" by Manu Chao. They are accompanied by the television actress Llum Barrera, (Aqui no hay que viva), Mariana Cordero, Violeta Pérez, Mònica Van Campen and other prestigious secondary characters such as Luis Callejo, Antonio Durán Morris, Pepa Aniorte, Carlos Bardem, Enrique Villén.

This displays a colorful and evocative photography by Ramiro Civita, shot on location in Madrid. As well as atmospheric and lively music by Alfonso de Vilallonga, and with many captivating songs. The film was professionally directed by Fernando León De Aranoa. The director and his cast members spent some time at HIV clinics to research the film. Fernando León De Aranoa was born on May 26, 1968 in Madrid, where he usually shoots his films. Fernando began working in cinema in the 90s, shooting short films and writing scripts, and has made some films, usually dramas. He is a good writer and director, known for Familia (1996), Princesas (2005), Barrio (1998), Amador (2010), Sabina (2011) and his best film Los Lunes al Sol (2002). Rating: 6/10.

Micaela Nevárez is a Puerto Rican actress who has achieved great fame in independent and European films. She made her film debut in the acclaimed Spanish film Princesas which was directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, in which she played Zulema, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic trying to make a living as a prostitute on the streets of Madrid, Spain. Her strong convincing performance in this film earned her a Goya Award for Best New Actress in 2006, making her the first Puerto Rican thespian to win this prestigious award.By winning this award, Nevárez became the first Puerto Rican performer to win this prestigious film honor and one of the few Latin American actresses to do so as well. She is preparing to launch her film career in the United States in 2008 with a supporting role in the independent film The War Boys starring Victor Rasuk and Peter Gallagher.

This is a very well written movie based on reality. Actor's performances are great,I really enjoyed this movie it kept me glued to the TV screen until the end. I like the movie because is a drama of an immigrant whom driven by the bad economic situation of her country, was forced to leave the homeland and work as a prostitute in Madrid, Spain. She was sexually abused by a Spaniard bureaucrat with the promise of a visa to stay legally in the country. She mets a Spaniard girl whom just to be a prostitute too (Caye) they understand each other creating a true friendship until Zulema has to leave the country because her HIV results came back positive. A very human story that is worth to see it.

...Because almost all the ones that do have money and connections are shallow and gutless and that's why you have to dig and dig and dig to find a good film.

Another reviewer got a 0/11 out of the eleven gracious contributors to this film fro saying this is boring. He was right in saying that the acting is indeed very good, the main actress does seem to overact a bit, but the domenican girl is a joy to watch, and the minor characters are very well acted too.

So, big love to the actors here, great job.

Big boos to the directors and screenwriters. What a shallow sophomoric story, no twists, no turns, and that could be acceptable if at least there was some semblance of a cinema verity, a gritty reality portrayed. But there's none of this.

The film doesn't build up, doesn't explore characters, doesn't even have one single story to tell. Forget imagination or plot. I am not a blockbuster Hollywood viewer but give me something more than some shallow musings on "someone exists because you remember them" and about princesses being too sensitive. Any way you cut it, under any sympathetic light you might want to view the film it fails miserably and that's because of the flat, dirt poor story and characterisation.

It's more than obvious that the director and writer are clueless when it comes to prostitution and that's why this is reduced to boring stereotypes.

Unfortunately very few real prostitutes rise from the gutter to tell their story. Let me rephrase that because I 've read some wonderful insightful books about prostitution from prostitutes. Very few real prostitutes actually get that big chunk of money to make a film. I tell you whatever little contact I had with working girls as a man, some of those short rushed discussions were far more honest and heartbreaking than any of this boring trite.

Let's be frank prostitution exists because men are horny and men have power, and prostitutes do what they do because some of them are lazy and want an easy way out, and most of them have been abused and are tortured souls, they are also poor girls and some are stupid girls. It's not a happy subject matter because it reflects on the atrocious nature of people, mostly men. It might not even be an interesting matter. But if you are going to tackle it, there's stuff there for sure, if you are to make a movie of it there's so much there to avoid banality and clichés. The sheer number of which here are mind blowing.

But of course that's happens when people with money make films about issues they have neither the sensitivity nor the intellect to handle, and that they've not lived through for sure. So we get clichés: hiv, the bad pimp, the junkie, the college kid, the immigrant, uuuggghhh...

And what's with 15 manu chao songs in a single film? Straight from an "anti globalisation" march.

This is an exceptional film about the world's oldest profession. It is exceptional, not just as an insight into the emptiness of a whore's life but into the richness of a friendship entered into with kindness. The story is small scale with minor villains and fleeting loving. At no point is it salacious, and yet the film does not flinch from its subject matter.

The direction is sensitive and the performances of Candela Pena as Caye and Micaela Nevares as Zulema is understated and riveting. The most moving moments are ones when the humanity of those involved in this unfolding story comes to the fore. There is a lightness of touch that is refreshing and moments of real humour to lighten what could be very downbeat subject matter. There are also moments of philosophy in the script that are a delight and Fernando León de Aranoa as writer and director produces some memorable quotes (as with the title given to this review).

All in all this is a film that is well worth making an effort to find and to see.

Caye is a veteran prostitute that is spending her last days in the street. She mets Zulema, a newcomer immigrant prostitute. At first they will hate each other, but hardness of life will make them close friend, for the good and the bad. The movie is not bad, but the main problem is that it is too like "los lunes al sol" but changing the profession of main characters (from work-less to prostitutes). Not only they are very similar but also "princesas" hasn't the charismatic characters of "Los Lunes" (like the ones played by Tosar and Bardem), which makes the result worse. The story is interesting and touching and shows us the prostitutes world with few topics and much truths, but the acting and directing is just correct. I've seen much better parts of Candela Peña and it is not one of the best moments of Aranoa's directing ("Los lunes" is much better). To sum up, it is not bad, but after watching the other film, the result is quite disappointing. It is interesting, but has the problem that "Los lunes" is better. That's all.

Fernando Leon De Aranoa has created a film showing the realistic struggles that might be experienced by anyone existing in society, particularly the lower class. Princesas follows the life of Caye (Played by Candela Pena), which I find interesting because "Caye" means "street", and Caye works the streets, and her friend Zulema (played by Micaela Nevarez). Caye is a citizen of Spain, raised in a middle-class family, and Zulema is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Zulema has come to Spain hoping to obtain a working license, and tries to save money to bring her son to Spain. There are other prostitutes who have immigrated to Spain and turned to prostitution as an occupation, and this creates tension with the prostitutes that are Spanish Citizens. Caye Spanish friends are all prejudice against the immigrant prostitutes, accusing them of stealing their jobs, and Caye struggles to maintain her friendship with both the Spanish prostitutes and Zulema. The friendship between Caye and Zulema grows stronger as the movie progresses, and their friendship helps them overcome obstacles.

During the day, the lighting in this movie seems very natural, as if the sun is the sole source of lighting. This gives an authentic feel to the movie, instead of Hollywood dramatization that can be caused by artificial lighting. The obstacles that the characters face are also realistic. They are not far fetched, and their situations could potentially happen to anyone in their shoes. This adds to the realistic feel of the movie. Most of the shots in Princesas are done at an eye-level angle, which allows the viewer to get absorbed into the movie, forgetting that it is just a movie and not reality. Whenever the characters have an emotional scene, the camera zooms in, showing a close up of their faces. This really emphasizes the emotion, whether it's sorrow, joy, or anger, and allows the viewer to feel more connected to the characters.

The authenticity of Princesas will draw you in, and the strong bond of friendship between two women as they struggle through life will keep you captivated, feeling their joy and sorrow as you follow their journey.

I saw this at the Montreal ibero-Spanish film festival (Festivalissimo) and this won the Audience Prize, with reason. This Spanish treat deals with themes of family, love, self-perception, racist, the acceptance of some times harsh reality and the nurturing of dreams. This all takes place in a dim world of prostitution where humour is splashed by a friendly bunch of prostitutes in the hopes to accept their less than stellar role in society. Candela Peña is great in her role. Her character, Caye, is torn between many things and she is able to portray that delicate balance and captivate the audience, drawing them in like one of Caye's client.

The acting is good, but it is also based on a great script. It is at once witty, touching and revealing. We delve quite a bit into the prostitution world, but manage to stay mostly in the light side of it, while being able to imagine the darker aspects. The inner voyage, the search, the subterfuge and the constant questioning are all very well woven into the story and the ending leaves us on a high note, after so much intense moments.

The editing puts it all together and the original music makes us feel and think. A genuine crowd-pleaser. Go and enjoy!

'Princesses' is a nicely-realised story of a number of Spanish prostitutes. It portrays them as human and focuses on the idea that most of them simply want the same things in life as anyone else, in spite of their unorthodox career choice. It's surprisingly inexplicit in content, which makes it easier to go with the story but which also slightly softens it; the actual quality of these women's work is shielded a little from us, we see one women abused by a particular client, but not the reality of life on the streets hour after hour. Finally, I thought the story ran out a little before the end. But I still liked the movie, a tender and sensitive portrait of lonely souls.

"Princesas" from start to finish embarks on the tumultuous lives of two prostitutes. Seemingly stereotypical, however not!

Centered on Caye, the movie begins with her inducting the audience into the explicit business of sexual solicitation. Giving spectators a moment to retrieve those dehumanizing views that have historically plagued whores since prostitution began. Then with a twist of superb artistry, director "Fernando Leon De Aranoa," invites viewers' into Caye's world which surprisingly happens to be filled with desire, insight, and awareness. Full of compassion, Caye validates the fact that even those who are deemed societal outcast live sophisticated lives and deal with the same complications outside of occupation that confound us all. As we identify what is important and what is not. Her loyalty to Zulema, concern for others, and high morality balance her violation of cultural taboo while illuminating her light as a person.

Zulema's character reveals the unsettling issues that the intrusion of mass immigration brings about a nation. She travels to Spain for the same reasons that many immigrants migrate to other places throughout the world. In search for better, as a necessary means to provide for her family; as a result, Zulema's sale of sex for money can be seen as a struggle of survival not just for herself but for her son. Unfortunately, it also can be perceived as a misrepresentation of a people, because Zule's native counterparts have developed a negative regard for immigrants due to their gratuitous behavior. Her relationship with Caye begins over this conflict. But a person's color is a social construct, Zulema and Caye's economic and social commonalities along with their aspirations overpower their racial differences.

I would suggest to anyone watch the movie "Princesas."Not because of its nature, but because of its message. Fernando creates a film full of spirit. It confides in personal goodness over personal actions. Displaying good humanity as a feat anyone can achieve despite deviant behavior and illustrates that no one's life is more important than another's.

I just watched Princesas for the second time, and if anything, I loved it even more than the first. This movie hits deep without trying too hard - it's intimate, raw, and incredibly human. The chemistry between Candela Peña and Micaela Nevárez is magnetic, and their performances feel so honest that it's almost like watching real life unfold in front of you.

What I appreciate most is how the film treats its characters with dignity. It doesn't judge, it doesn't dramatize. It simply tells the story of two women trying to survive, love, and be seen in a world that too often turns its back on them. The direction by Fernando León de Aranoa is subtle but powerful - he lets the silences speak, and the everyday moments become unforgettable.

It's the kind of film that makes you feel - really feel - and leaves you with more empathy than you had before. Princesas is beautiful, sad, hopeful, and above all, real. Highly recommended.