Chicas (2010/I)

Director:

Yasmina Reza

Writers:

Yasmina Reza (play)
Yasmina Reza (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 March 2010 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Fancy Dress | Mother Daughter Relationship | Watching TV | Flashback | One Word Title

Cast

André Dussollier	...	Fernand
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Nuria
Carmen Maura	...	Pilar
Valérie Dréville	...	Aurélia
Bouli Lanners	...	Maurice
Christelle Tual	...	Christal
Philippe Uchan	...	Patrick
Antonio Gil	...	Anibal (as Antonio Gil Martinez)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Frears	...	Himself
Timothée Kempen-Hamel	...	Le petit garçon du bac à sable

Directed by
Yasmina Reza

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Yasmina Reza		play "Une pièce espagnole"
Yasmina Reza		screenplay

Produced by
Saïd Ben Saïd	....	producer
Peter Welter Soler	....	line producer: Spain

Cinematography by
Antoine Héberlé		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Monica Coleman

Production Design by
Denis Renault

Makeup Department
Gérald Porcher	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Alfonso Garcia Lopez	....	production manager: Spain
Abraham Goldblat	....	post-production supervisor
Varujan Gumusel	....	post-production manager
Pierre Wallon	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ana Gallardo	....	second assistant director: Spain
Denis Kralj	....	assistant director: location
Audrey Thiery	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Pascal Chevé	....	plasterer
Jean-Michel Gambillon	....	carpenter
Angel Madueño	....	set dresser: Spain
Amélie Pichereau-Quentin	....	assistant art director
Chris Swann	....	art director: Spain

Sound Department
Damien Bera	....	sound re-recording mixer
Vincent Cosson	....	foley recordist
Séverin Engler	....	boom operator
Vincent Guillon	....	supervising sound editor
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Frédérique Liébaut	....	adr supervisor
Vincent Milner	....	foley artist
Pierre Picq	....	boom operator
Miguel Rejas	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Stephane Bidault	....	visual effects supervisor
Nicolas Delbecq	....	visual effects supervisor
Aurélien Grand	....	retouch and restoration
Jean-Antoine Lacolle	....	visual effects artist
Christophe Lucotte	....	color grader
Paul Moriaux	....	digital artist
François Poupon	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Charveriat Antoine	....	third assistant camera
Stéphane Assié	....	gaffer
Sylvain Bardoux	....	grip
Christophe Bassoulet	....	electrician
Marie Celette	....	second assistant camera
Mauricio D'Ambrosio	....	electrician: Spain
Marie Demaison	....	first assistant camera
Antonio Diaz	....	grip: Spain
Cédric Guerby	....	electrician
Darren Riddley	....	electrician: Spain
Pietro Rosso	....	additional grip
Ivan Torres	....	electrician: Spain

Editorial Department
Fabien Napoli	....	colorist: dailies
Giulia Rodino	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Nicolas Duport	....	music mixer
Elise Luguern	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Juan Fernández	....	location manager: Spain
Philippe Letode	....	location manager
Gianni Manno	....	titles and credits designer
Édith Pavageau	....	production administrator
Nathalie Vierny	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• SBS Films
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Zanagar Films (co-production)
• Sofica UGC 1 (in association with)
• Canal+ (participation)
• TPS Star (participation)
• France Télévision (participation)
• Région Ile-de-France (support)

Distributors

• Lumière Productie (2009) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• UGC Distribution (2009) (France) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Camera Service Rental  camera equipment:Spain
• Modexpor International  casting:Spain
• Southern Sun  lighting equipment:Spain

Also Known As:

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

Málaga, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

SBS Films

Three sisters, not by Chekhov

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Chicas" a French film conceived and directed by playwright Yazmine Reza turned out to be a disappointment, when it showed on a French international channel recently. The author of "Art" and "God of Carnage", among her best known plays, was trying her hand in a different medium, cinema, for which, evidently, she was not well equipped to do. Supposedly this is a rehash of her 1997 theatrical piece "A Spanish Play". It sounded as though it could have been autobiographical, since she dedicates the film to someone we took for a Spanish relative.

A Spanish woman, Pilar, living in Paris, goes back to Spain with her famous daughter, Nuria, to liquidate a property still left behind. Nuria has been the object of a much rumored romance with an actor. As they get back to Paris, Pilar gathers her clan to introduce the man in her life, Fernand, a man of a certain age who has been living with her. Only Nuria and another daughter, Aurelia, who is married, attend the dinner. The third daughter, Christal the third daughter does not come, preferring to go for an outing with her bored lover.

Basically, nothing happens in the story. It almost seems a pointless effort, since the only highlight is the tension between Pilar and Aurelia. The girls keep sending nasty messages about her to one another. The favorite is clearly Nuria, who is beautiful and is in the limelight. Aurelia is a stage actress rehearsing what appears to be a boring play. Finally Christal confesses to her lover she is pregnant, but gets no reaction from the man. Only Pilar seems to be the happy and well adjusted person having found love with Fernand.

Carmen Maura, the great Spanish actress, is Pilar. She keeps things moving, although the screenplay does not let her do much. Andre Dussollier appears as Fernand. Emmanuelle Seigner, Valerie Dreville, and a silly Christelle Tual are seen as the three daughters. There are shots of a loving relationship between mother and the small girls in Spain.