Queen to Play (2009)
"Joueuse" (original title)

Middle-aged chambermaid Hélène'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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Caroline Bottaro

Writers:

Caroline Bottaro, Bertina Henrichs (novel)

Stars:

Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Valérie Lagrange

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Hélène
Kevin Kline	...	Kröger
Valérie Lagrange	...	Maria
Francis Renaud	...	Ange
Alexandra Gentil	...	Lisa
Alice Pol	...	Natalia
Didier Ferrari	...	Jacky
Laurence Colussi	...	Pina
Élisabeth Vitali	...	Marie-Jeanne
Daniel Martin	...	Le président du club d'échecs
Dominic Gould	...	L'Américain
Jennifer Beals	...	L'Américaine
Valérie Tréjean	...	L'infirmière
François Orsoni	...	Le journaliste
Christine Ambrosini	...	La femme de l'autocar

Storyline

Middle-aged chambermaid Hélène'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.

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Plot Keywords:

chess | chambermaid | birthday | corsica | bus | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Studio Canal [France]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French English

Release Date:

1 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Queen to Play

Filming Locations:

Corsica, France

Box Office

Budget:

€5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$28,092 (USA) (1 April 2011)

Gross:

$478,572 (USA) (26 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mon Voisin Productions, Blueprint Film, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 100 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The first chess game between Hélène and Kröger is not logically possible. The opening three moves are those of a conventional Scotch Game. Then, between White's fourth move and Black's fourth move, the pieces rearrange themselves on the board, allowing Black to checkmate White.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Conan the Barbarian (2011)

User Reviews

Rapture and Chess

On some levels this movie works. Its' slow paced, languid, and the characters draw you in – particularly Sandrine Bonnaire. It's about the addiction of the game of chess and its appeal. So if you feel nothing for the game then you have been warned! The scenery on the island of Corsica is very colourful.

However it's also a somewhat self-indulgent film – it's about addiction after all. There are many long and lingering shots of Sandrine and Kevin staring at each other and then at chess pieces. Sandrine's family is so very much accommodating to her new found passion. There is certain lack of logicality – it takes years with many different chess partners to become a solid player and then participate successfully in a tournament. Still the movie does dreamily captivate.