Princesas

...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.

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

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.

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.

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.