Princesas

I was lucky to be invited to a press screening of this terrific little film. And I say little because, unfortunately, this film will have a very limited release.

The film tells the story of the close friendship between two prostitutes. Caye (Candela Pena) is from a middle class family in Madrid. Her family have no idea that her line of work is prostitution. She and her friends hang out in a a beauty salon and complain that women from third world countries are taking away their clients because they offer them lower rates. Caye notices that one of the foreign born prostitutes, Zulema (Michaela Nevarez), lives in her neighborhood. One day Caye finds Zule beaten to a pulp and takes her to a hospital. They soon become good friends. We find out that Zule has a young son who lives with her mother back home in the Dominican Republic. She sends whatever money she can to them.

In the meantime, Caye meets a nice man named Manuel (Luis Callejo) and starts a relationship with him. He finds it hard to believe that she is a prostitute. This seems to be the first real bit of kindness Caye has gotten from a man in some time. But given her line of work one can only wonder if this relationship will last.

The film is not plot heavy but focuses more on the audience getting to know the characters. And by the time the film ends we find ourselves caring a great deal about Caye and Zule. They are both women with broken dreams. Caye does not think that the worst thing is to die and find that there is nothing afterward. She thinks that the worst think is dying and coming back to the same life she has now. In the case of Zule I can see that she didn't have many opportunities being that she is from the Dominican Republic. She must have felt that this was the only work she could get. But I was wondering how and why Caye got into this line of work. We never find this out and I wish that the film would have given us a hint as to why Caye became a prostitute. Both women would love, even if for just a day, to be a princess.

Director Fernando Leon de Aranoa directs this film with great skill and compassion. His characters are not some stereotypes but real flesh and blood people. Some have compared Pretty Woman to this film. Except for the fact that they are both about prostitutes they have little in common. There is no Richard Gere to rescue any of these women. All of the
acting is first rate and Pena gets to show us what an outstanding actress she is. She won a Goya award for Best Lead Actress this past year. Nevarez is also great as the heartbreaking Zule and she won a Goya for Best New Actress. The film has a wonderful sound track and won a third Goya for Best Song.

This is the second film by de Aranoa that I have seen. While I found Mondays in the Sun (which is about laid off dock workers and also focuses on friendship - this time between several men) to be a somewhat better film this one is still a very good one and is definitely worth seeing. Since the release will be so limited I hope that many people will catch it on DVD. As for de Aranoa, I look forward to seeing more films made by him in the future. He is not only talented but he puts heart and consciousness into his work and that is something very important to me.