Muchachas - Maids from Mexico - Their side of the story - Screening Thursday 23rd at 20:00

Here are four film reviews from film student Fanny Leyvraz.

The first, "Muchachas" comes highly recommended from both Fanny and Living in Nyon.  This film focusses on the relationship that household maids in Mexico have with their employers and the families they work for. Yesterday, at the Nyon film festival, one of the maids was given the opportunity to speak to the audience as the film's director Juliana Fanjul had flown her in from Mexico to attend the screening of the film and to answer questions. A rich an interesting discussion ensued.

The next three short reviews are from the "First Steps" film selection. These are short films out of film schools presented in world or international premieres. Fanny warmed to two of the films, but not to the third.  Read on for her reviews.

Muchachas  - screening tonight Thursday 23rd at the Cinema Capitole Fellini Capitole Fellini at 20:00

A film filled with whole-hearted and honest exchanges 

In the city of Mexico, almost every single wealthy family has an employee doing the household chores. They clean, cook, answer the door, do the laundry, and take care of the kids. is about three women, Lupita, Remedios, and Dolores, who have spent their entire life as house-workers. Wide hands and robust arms, wrinkled faces, they wear their hair short or tied up. Their every move is done with the precision of a watchmaker, energetic and with minimum effort. They are always active and quiet, always standing yet discreet, but the camera reveals the courage and strength these three women, and imposes our respect.

Using the technique of conversation, Juliana Fanjul and her camera are able to obtain genuine thoughts and opinions of those who are usually silent. Asking simple questions, and letting time loosen tongues, the process of sharing grows as the minutes go by. The house-workers have memories about their childhoods, they comment on how they consider themselves in relation to the family they work for, their intense reactions can be touching, amusing and sometimes troubling. The film raises many questions - the culture of young female house-workers coming from small villages (where they usually didn’t have any access to education), to questions on Mexico itself. The documentary addresses the separation between economical classes, and the nature of the relationship between the boss and the employee, or the employee and the children of the family, issues that encourage an evolution.

Filled with whole-hearted and honest exchanges, gave these incredible women the time and space to speak up about their side of the story.

Info and tickets here 

Three first steps films by film students - Usine a Gaz  Friday 24th April at 10:00. Note: all First Steps films will be shown in a mammoth screening session from 10:00 onwards. See timings of the following three films here 

Mars Closer

Paul and Pauls not only share almost the exact same name, but also the same dream. They long to be a part of the first expedition to Mars, to be the first men ever to set foot on another planet. We follow each man in his earthly dwellings. Paul walks the busy and rainy streets of Tokyo, in an atmosphere recalling In Latvia, Pauls plays in the garden with his two small children.Mixing very blunt addresses to the spectator, and dreamy scenes, does not seem to be real, but wonderfully fictional.

Economic Forecasters

The blurry and colourful lights, the hullabaloo of radio transmissions, and the swirling of newspapers lure us slowly but surely into an absurd and amusing world. There are two men that see economy as predictable. One looks up to the planets, walking in the dark streets of Helsinki, the other in his newspaper-crammed office, answers calls from hesitant house-buyers or investors. Funny and eccentric, will make you smile.

On vénère bien les chevaux

In a small café, somewhere in France, there is a cult, betting on the horse-races. If the analogy made with the frenzy of horse-racing bets and the story of the Buddha, and his twelve animal tournament is surprising and smart, it fails to move deeply the spectator. This small window to the horse-racing bet world is probably authentic, but unfortunately not so enchanting.