Bonjour!
Over the weekend, I watched Les Femmes du 6ème étage (The Women on the 6th Floor) for my French class. If you ever want to learn a language, watching movies are the best way to do it. You have a visual image of what the characters are doing plus you learn some slang and the culture. A classroom setting will teach you so much but movies will enrich you as much as if you were in that country.
The Women on the 6th Floor is a 2010 film starring Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain and Natalia Verbeke. The film is a social comedy set in 1960s France. It compares the lives of the “well-to-do” French family, the Jouberts, and the humorous, lively Spanish maids living in the top floor of the building. Maria comes to work for the Jouberts and is the spark of the personal connection between Monsieur Joubert and the maids. Monsieur Joubert realizes the hardships the maids live and helps them make their lives better such as buying an apartment for Pilar or teaching them about investing their money in stocks. He loves his Spanish friends and the freedom to be happy that comes with the friendship.
This movie is funny and easier to understand than most French films since it was a combination of French and Spanish. I must say my favorite parts were when the maids are dancing to the French version of “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” in the beginning of the film (there is a clip in the trailer) and when Maria is trying to teach Monsieur Joubert how to saw “jamon” (if you know Spanish then you would agree it’s pretty funny). The score for the music is great as well. It’s emphasizes the situation whether it’s playful or serious or sad. I love this film and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in watching French films.
À toute à l’heure!
Your Way with Words 