Joueuse

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

3.3K

YOUR RATING

Middle-aged chambermaid HÃ©lÃ¨ne's newfound obsession with the game of chess leads her to seek the tutelage of a reclusive American expat, transforming both of their ho-hum lives in the process.

Play trailer1:38

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Drama

A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.

Director
- Caroline Bottaro
Writers
- Caroline Bottaro
- Bertina Henrichs
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

3.3K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Caroline Bottaro
Writers
- Caroline Bottaro
- Bertina Henrichs
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total

User reviews31

Featured review

10/10

A movie about chess???

There are movies about baseball and swimming and even pool and poker. This one is about chess. And it is a superb film, one of the few I've rated ten. Where to start? The rich photography and the stunning scenery? The captivating, believable characters? The subtleties that Europe does so well but Hollywood doesn't even understand? Perhaps the thing I liked best was the wonderful facial expressions. Anyone can learn a line. It takes much more talent to convey a story with a raised eyebrow, a cunning smile, an expression of shocked surprise. The movie is a winner even if you don't know the difference betaken a pawn and a rook. But if you play chess and understand its culture, it is especially engaging. Chess is wrongly regarded as a slow and boring game. Here it has the excitement of a bobsled run. Just a heluva great movie!

rps-2
Jun 30, 2012
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Videos1

Trailer 1:38

Queen to Play (Joueuse)

Photos4

Storyline

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Trivia
The film subtly suggests Hélène's improvement at playing chess through her opening moves. At the beginning, with her mentor, she opens by moving a side pawn, a move typical for inexperienced players who don't understand chess openings. Half-way through the apprenticeship, she opens with the king's pawn, the most widely used opening move, which shows that she now understands that chess playing is more than moving pieces and has an inner logic to be followed. For her last game with her mentor, she opens with the queen's pawn, a more complex opening which requires a better understanding of the dynamics of the game.

Goofs
When Helene and Kroeger were playing their blind game. Kroeger calls for a move of j6, which is no such square. Obviously the person who translated the subtitles misunderstood plus doesn't know chess.