


High atop the rugged mountains of Corsica, Hélène pedals her bike to work. She's a chambermaid at a luxury hotel, living a humdrum working-class life. Hélène came to Corsica years ago for her husband, who works in the boatyards. Serious and conscientious about her work, she has no particular desire to change things. Then one day she glimpses a romantic couple playing an impassioned game of chess on the balcony of a room she's cleaning. Seized with a vague longing, Hélène purchases an electronic chess game for her husband, hoping the game might help them rekindle an old flame. When he understandably wonders what's gotten into her, she begins teaching herself chess at night. Hélène stubbornly persuades the gruff, reclusive American Doctor Kröger, for whom she serves as a house cleaner, to mentor her. As she becomes fixated on the game, she begins to neglect her work and family. Once Hélène realizes that the Queen is the strongest piece — she can go anywhere and do anything she likes — she sees that chess might offer a way out of her mundane existence. QUEEN TO PLAY features sensitive performances by Sandrine Bonnaire as Hélène and Kevin Kline as Doctor Kröger. (In French with subtitles) – B.B.
| Producer | Dominique Besnehard, Michel Feller |
| Screenplay | Caroline Bottaro |
| Cinematography | Jean-Claude Larrieu |
| Editing | Tina Baz |
| Principal Cast | Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Valérie Lagrange, Francis Renaud, Alexandra Gentil, Jennifer Beals |
| Director Bio | Caroline Bottaro lives in Paris. In 1995 she wrote and directed the short film "La Mère," starring Nathalie Baye. Bottaro wrote several films directed by Jean-Pierre Améris. |
| Select Filmography | QUEEN TO PLAY (2009) |
| Print Source |
Liberation Entertainment www.libent.com |
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