Les femmes du 6e étage

The movie plot about the life of Spanish immigrants in France in the 1960s showing experiences of poor maids as immigrants and adequately reflecting us how was the life of that time . In 1960s Paris, a conservative couple's lives are turned upside down by various Spanish maids . The peculiar marriage called Jean-Louis Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) and Suzanne Joubert (Sandrine Kiberlain) carry out a different life , as Jean-Louis is a hard-working executive and Suzanne is a snobbish wife . The affluent man and the selfish woman live a dull life and they have two arrogant children in a boarding school . At least until due to fortuitous events , there appears Maria (Natalia Verbeke) , the beautiful new maid at the service of Jean-Louis' family, makes him discover the servants' quarter on the sixth floor of the luxurious building he owns and lives in . There lives a community (Carmen Maura as Concepción Ramirez , Lola Dueñas as Berta Ojea as Dolores Carbalan , Nuria Solé as Teresa and Concha Galán as Pilar) of likable Spanish maids , they have said goodbye their families and went abroad . There take place the problems to adapt into a new life ; but later on , they discover a new and agreeable existence . The maids will help Jean-Louis to open to a new culture , introducing him a joyful Spanish group and a new approach of life . In their help and more precisely in the company of charming Maria , Jean-Louis to be turned into a good and philanthropist man .

This interesting film is full of humor , drama , touching scenes and good feeling . It is a simple , dramatic and humorous portrait of a time when the Spanish people had to go other countries in order to encounter a work . This amusing as well as funny picture deals about lives of the immigrants with a minor support in their live condition and including a touching and emotive finale . As in Spain of the 50s and 60s ruled by General Franco there's no job , there's no money , and there's no option for the poor people but to emigrate to a foreign country and attempting to encounter work . As it concerns about the Spanish way of life of a crowd of maids , their habits , costumes ; at the same time they improve the serious but uptight stockbroker who lives a steady yet boring life , being suddenly changed when appear the Spanish maids ; as Jean-Louis will gradually become another man, a better man . Actors are frankly magnificent with a first-rate acting for whole cast . Sensational Fabrice Luchini along with the wife played Sandrine Kinberlain and a gorgeous as well as sympathetic Natalia Verbeke . Special mention to the group of Spanish maids magnificently performed by Carmen Maura , Lola Dueñas , Berta Ojea , among others . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Jean Claude Larrieu . Imaginative as well as sensitive original Music by Jorge Arriagada , Raul Ruiz's usual . It was a success among spectators, as well as a hit smash in the various film festivals it took part in ; as it achieved Prix d'interprétation à Natalia Verbeke au festival Sarlat 2010 .

The motion picture was very well directed by Philippe Le Guay . Philippe Le Guay took inspiration from his own childhood , his father was a stockbroker like Jean-Louis Joubert in the film and he himself had a Spanish maid. This was the number one comedy smash hit from this director . He's a good writer and filmmaker who has directed a few movies , many of them starred by his fetish actor , Fabrice Luchini , such as "Cycling with Moliere" , "The Cost of Living" ¨L'année Juliette¨ and this ¨The Women on the 6th Floor" , his best picture .

Fabrice Lucchini, famous French actor well-known for his flamboyant demeanour, is playing an invisible man in this film, which placed in Paris in the 1960's. He opens up to life while meeting the group of Spaniard maids living above his apartment. His wife, played by Sandrine Kiberlain, disagree with him because he's talking to these people who are not from the same social class. Both Lucchini and Kiberlain are very good in this film. The actress who's playing Maria Gonzalez cast, Natalia Verbeke, is offering a splendid performance. I've never seen her playing before. The end of the movie is quite common and deceiving, but it's doesn't erase the fun we had watching this very niece movie.

A great movie, with wonderful actress and actor, soft, funny, intelligent and deeper as it seems apparently. If you pay attention the flick will let you think upon many things and, in any case, you will leave the theater in a good and serene mood not only in your mind, but also in your heart. Very refreshing!!! Luchini is excellent (as always) in his wonderful character. He recognize the opportunity to change his life and he seize it on. Today maybe it is hard to imagine that a rich man can show that kind of interest for people of a such different social condition. But in the Sixties sometimes that could happen, the social dehumanization was not so advanced like today, in spite of all the contradictions of those years, which are very well represented. Very good also Kiberlain as his wife. She is perfect in her attitude as snooty new rich. The whole cast of the movie and especially the Spanish women are simply great: they show how a change was urgently requested, at that time... and let us understand, today also!

Thank goodness I got tired of the trash that Hollywood tips out like churned mince through a mincer and decided to begin watching foreign films!

French movies, in particular, seem to have a knack for producing a love story that doesn't leave me puking with either boredom or the sheer stupidity and bad acting.

This is one such little gem. Delightful, understated, charming. When a Spanish maid moves to France she takes a job with a wealthy businessman and his detached wife. As the wife listens more and more to her malicious, gossipy society friends, she becomes suspicious of her husband having an affair.

Her husband certainly is up to many things, but he's a lovely man, played delightfully, and he's falling in love alright... with a whole new way of life.

I enjoyed every minute of this!

In the 60's, in Paris, the middle-aged stockbroker Jean-Louis Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) is an uptight man that lives with his wife snobbish wife Suzanne (Sandrine Kiberlain) on the first floor of a building that belongs to him. Jean-Louis and Suzanne live a boring life and they have two arrogant sons in a boarding school.

When their maid quits the job, they hire the charming Spanish maid María Gonzalez (María Gonzalez) and Jean-Louis is introduced to a joyful Spanish community of maids on the 6th floor of his building. Jean-Louis learns about the Spanish costumes and improves the lives of the immigrants with minor support in their live condition. He also rekindles his own life with Maria and her friends. But when Maria unexpectedly returns to Spanish, Jean-Louis rethinks his life and values.

"Les Femmes du 6ème Étage" is a delightful romantic comedy based on the fight of classes and cultural differences between the French upper class and the Spanish immigrants in the early 60's in Paris. I loved this film, the cast, the direction, the characters and specially the lovely smile and look of María Gonzalez. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "As Mulheres do 6o Andar" ("The Women of the 6th Floor")