Donas de alegria

Belgium's Oscar submission, Frédéric Fonteyne and Anne Paulicevich's delightful and insightful Working Girls, is about a trio of French women who are sex workers in Belgium when they're not at their day jobs. The empowering film shows how men still think they own women and how three of them decide to fight back. All three leads are fantastic (I especially loved Noémie Lvovsky) as is the deft and swift direction (but never at the expense of the character nuances) and smart script. This film deserves recognition.

We follow the daily lives of French women who prostitute themselves in Belgium to make ends meet. The film is very moving. It's a slice of the daily lives of these women, each with their own personal, domestic or family problems, their problems of precariousness, but also with their common problems linked to their activities as sex workers in Belgium, sometimes the two coming together.

The dramaturgy may not be subtle, but that wasn't necessarily obvious. The actresses are formidable, Sara Forestier and Noémie Lvosky in the lead, but also Annabelle Lengronne in a moving character. It's a perfect example of dramatic comedy. Comedy, because we smile regularly. And dramatic, because these characters are constantly confronted with elements in their lives that disrupt their ambitions. They fight to get out of their situation and make a better life for themselves. The script regularly integrates small societal elements that disrupt everyday life.

All in all, a fine piece of work by Frédéric Fonteyne and Anne Paulicevich that avoids the sordid while not hiding much.

WORKING GIRLS isn't a film about prostitutes, it is a film about women who work, heroines of the real world who bring food on the table for their families by crossing the French / Belgian border everyday together to work in a brothel. It is a compelling and moving story and the film successfully conveys the special bond between the three main characters who share a secret life.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this film - I hadn't actually read up on it beforehand, and only knew it was an Oscar contender. After having seen it, I'm very happy I did, and recommend it to others. The acting was utterly superb, from all three stars. The film has a way of introducing and going into each character that I feel worked very well. We basically get the perspective of each character, and any characters we may not initially feel so connected to are quickly given layers as their life is revealed, so that we strongly empathize with them. These characters and their situation are extremely complex, and yet no matter what is done, we end up completely understanding where they are coming from. It's very easy to write certain characters as stereotypes, but nearly everyone in this film is given sufficient depth, which keeps the audience engaged and interested the entire film. The pacing was excellent, all the way through, and I have to really commend the writer for how well-written each scene was. The direction, as well, felt very natural, and fluid, keeping strongly with the tone of the film. All around, I very much recommend this film, and am very happy to see this subject matter be handled so well and compassionately.

Working Girls, or Filles de Joie, is a brilliant Belgian film which gives us an insight into the world of three women who are doing what they have to in order to make their way through life.

None of them has it easy and, just like all of us, they have things in their private lives that they battle behind closed doors.

This film is about the close bond between three working girls, Axelle, Conso, and Dominique, and the private misery each of them is dealing with in their personal lives.

The three lead actresses are beyond amazing and turn in gritty performances that both mesmerise and pull you slowly in until by the end of the film you feel you know them intimately.

I was recommended this film by a mate and now I want to recommend it to as many people as possible. It's an intimate slice of life that shines a light on the lives of a sometimes forgotten group of people.

And all the while you are reminded that working girls are indeed people.