CHICAS

France, 2011, 84 minutes, Colour.
Carmen Maura, Emmanuelle Seigner, Valerie Dreville, Andre Dusollier, Christelle Tual, Bouli Lanners, Antonio Gil.
Directed by Yasmina Reza.

Chicas is based on a play, Une Piece Espagnol, written by celebrated playwright Yasmina Reza. She was the author of the award-winning play, Art, filmed for television five times - in Yugoslavia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, France. She was also the author of the award-winning play God of Carnage, filmed by Roman Polanski as Carnage.
This is a slight story, more a character study of women, a mother and her three daughters. The mother is played by celebrated Spanish actress, Carmen Maura, who has appeared in many Pedro Almodovar films. She is intense and lively in this film. Her youngest daughter is played by Emmanuelle Seigner, an actress who is up for an award, and wins, the prize being presented by film director, Stephen Frears, in a guest role.
The other daughters are played by Valerie Dreville, a rather hard woman, jealous of her younger sister. The other has a family, played by Christel Tual. Veteran French actor, Andre Dusollier a appears as the companion of Carmen Maura.
1. A brief entertainment and portrait of women? Family?
2. The writer-director and her career in theatre? Art and the various television versions? The God of Carnage, and the film, Carnage?
3. The Spanish-French? settings? The mother, the daughters and their lives? Inter-twining? The awards ceremony in England? Musical score?
4. The vitality of the mother, her life, her personality, her relationship with her three daughters? Her partner and his support? Her love for Nuria the, her pride in her career, talking easily with her, the discussion about her dresses for the ceremony, watching her on television, Nuria acknowledging her mother? Her love for Aurelia but finding it difficult, cantankerous? Disappointed? Her love for Christal, her absence, her family?
5. Nuria, the youngest, opportunities in life, an actress, comfortable with her mother, the jealousies of her sister, the other sister distant? The scenes with her mother, preparing for the awards, showing the dresses, going to London, her winning, her speech, her thanks, especially for her mother? The return? Happy and reunion?
6. Aurelia, her work, her relationship with Maurice? Her attitude towards her mother, lost opportunities, her sardonic remarks? Her husband, long-suffering?
7. Christal, her husband, her children, speculating if she were pregnant, the meal, her pregnancy? Her relationship with her mother, her sisters? Nuria’s success? Her future?
8. The men, as partners and husbands, with their wives? Patient?
9. Fernand, his being with Pilar, love for her, support?
10. The film based on a play, opened out for cinema? Successfully?