Filmfest DC Series: Queen to Play (Joueuse)

For 36 years, the Washington, DC International Film Festival has brought us the best of world cinema, featuring many new and exciting films from around the globe. Come discover or re-discover the French hits shown at the festival through this delightful series curated by the Filmfest DC staff.

A directorial debut of persuasive French charm, writerdirector Caroline Bottaro’s Queen to Play is a delight from first move to last. On the picturesque island of Corsica, Helene (Sandrine Bonnaire) leads a regimented life as a hotel maid while her husband, Ange (Francis Renaud), runs the local boatyard and their daughter attends high school. When Helene sees a mysterious American guest (Jennifer Beals) playing chess with a companion, she’s immediately hooked on the game but it falls to reclusive expat Dr. Kroeger (Kevin Kline) to hone her natural talent and focus her new-found confidence for match play. The chemistry between the soulfully expressive Bonnaire and Kline’s whimsical crankiness is palpable and exquisite. Queen to Play won a John Schlesinger Award honorable mention citation at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. — Eddie Cockrell