Queen to Play (original title Joueuse, the feminine form of “player”) is a 2009 French-German film directed by Caroline Bottaro. It is based on the novel La Joueuse d’échecs by Bertina Henrichs.
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Synopsis
The film stars Sandrine Bonnaire as a French chambermaid on the island of Corsica. She develops an interest in chess. She has been cleaning the house of an American doctor (played by Kevin Kline in his first French-speaking role), and he begins helping her practice and improve. She must deal with her growing fascination with the game and with her husband and teenaged daughter.
Cast
Sandrine Bonnaire as Hélène
Kevin Kline as Kröger
Valérie Lagrange as Maria
Francis Renaud as Ange
Alexandra Gentil as Lisa
Alice Pol as Natalia
Didier Ferrari as Jacky
Laurence Colussi as Pina
Élisabeth Vitali as Marie-Jeanne
Daniel Martin as The President of the Chess Club
Dominic Gould as L'Américain
Jennifer Beals as L'Américaine
Awards
2010: Special Mention for John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature Palm Springs International Film Festival
2009: Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival
Release
The film had its world premiere on April 25, 2009 in both New York City and Los Angeles, at the Tribeca Film Festival and the ColCoa Film Festival respectively. The national release in France was on August 5, 2009 and in Germany on January 7, 2010. The film is distributed in the U.S. by Zeitgeist Films and was released there on April 1, 2011.