Die Schachspielerin

Hélène is "a simple housemaid", living a very modest life with her husband and daughter, who both take her for granted. One day, after watching a couple play chess in idyllic conditions, she decides to learn how to play.

Throughout the film, chess is very much a symbol for Hélène aspiring to more in life. At one point, while trying to teach her husband how to play, her eyes light up as she says "La dame est la pièce la plus forte... c'est fou hein?" which could be roughly translated as "The queen is the strongest piece on the board... crazy, huh?".

This single sentence seems to encapsulate the whole state of mind of our protagonist. On one hand, the idea that she could accomplish anything, even be great or the best at anything seems far-fetched to her, yet terribly enticing. She is on a journey towards self-realization that is both exciting and a little scary to Hélène and those around her.

Sandrine Bonnaire is absolutely amazing as usual, and succeeds in showing the state of mind of her character in very few words. Kevin Kline is great as well playing Dr. Kröger, the man who teaches chess to Hélène and develops an unusual and complex bound with her. There are lots of nuances in their relationship and again, in few words, we as viewers can sense a lot is going on. Tension, attraction, challenges.

Caroline Bottaro's direction captures very well Hélène's modest and quiet life and the implicit contrasts between social classes.

I recommend this movie. If you are not convinced yet, give Guy Bellinger's review (here on IMDb) a read.

An inspiring chess movie because the democratic essence of the game prevails even when overcoming such obstacles as gender and class bias. But too, the story is as much about battles of all kinds as it is about chess.

We find in this film that a cleaning women's life changes because she says, "I exist, too. I have an interest. I will work at it because it matters to me." She learns, as we all do, that if you take a risk you may lose, but if you do not take risks you will lose.

Beautiful and subtle, yet appropriate, soundtrack and cinematography. Dialogue simple yet profound. Acting - spot on.

Again, foreign studios seem to be outclassing LA and NY - not even close. Well, OK, we have bigger CGI effects' computers and budgets.

I largely agree with what others have said here. But there is one flaw that nobody seems to have noticed: not one game of chess in this movie ends with a draw. As everybody with some knowledge of the game is aware of, draws are the rule among advanced players of chess, so a tournament such as the one shown in the movie that works by elimination (quarterfinals, semifinals, final), with only one game between a pair of contestants, is simply not realistic. (The tie could be broken through a game of fast chess, but this is not shown either.) It goes without saying that the whole dramaturgy of the movie would be significantly altered by the sheer possibility of draws. To sum it up, I consider chess a poor choice for communicating the message of this movie. Choose a game that does not permit draws and the problem is solved--although then the somewhat heavy handed symbolism of the queen as the strongest piece would have to be sacrificed.

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!

I liked the movie, although it wasn't perfect. The acting is decent, although some of the interactions between people seem forced. I would bet the book was better than the film, but I haven't read it. The story is about a cleaning lady who somehow discovers she likes chess and she convinces one of her clients to teach her to play. The entire chess angle is about female emancipation and not about the game itself, though.

What I liked most about the film is that at first people are resistant to the idea, assuming that no one can do anything to get out from their predestined little box, but then they snap out of it and are supportive to the lead character. There is no villain, perhaps except the guy she beats during her first tournament, but his role is minor. The entire film is about a woman discovering herself and what she can do. An important scene is when she reads Martin Eden and interprets the end as the natural thing to do. Of course, she rejects that idea later on.

A surprising thing is that the film stars three American actors. Kevin Kline speaks perfect French with an American accent and Jennifer Beals is there for just a few scenes to inspire Sandrine Bonnaire's character to play the game. I don't know what the angle was, but surely they didn't do it for the money, which is always soul cleansing for actors.

Bottom line: if you liked Queen's Gambit, you might like this one, too. It's a very similar story of emancipation through tallent, effort and the support of others. But if you want to watch it for the chess, there is very little of it.