Lila Avilés' pitch-perfect THE CHAMBERMAID gives Oscar-winner Roma a run for its money

It's not simply that both films are from Mexico, nor that their leading ladies seem to have an awfully lot in common, nor that Alfonso Cuarón's Roma and Lila Avilés' THE CHAMBERMAID tackle class, race, and the dominant culture so very well. It's all this and more. Specifically, both movies offer up the plight of maids/caretakers in Mexico. Though Roma's works for a somewhat wealthy bourgeois family several decades in the past, while Ms Avilés' labors in a present-day, high-class hotel, not a whole lot appears to have changed for the country's indigenous underclass. Even more astonishing, The Chambermaid proves Roma's artistic equal in many ways.

Granted, we don't have that gorgeous black-and-white cinematography to salivate over, but the excellent color work by Carlos Rossini brings a crisp documentary-like sheen to all we see -- from the mammoth laundry room and maintenance quarters to the exquisitely designed hotel rooms that would seem to have genuinely earned this establishment its five stars.

Even more surprising is the fact that Ms Avilés, shown at right, who both directed and co-wrote (with Juan Carlos Marquéz) has kept us viewers in a single location through her entire film. Yet so full of fascinating life and detail are the (very long) days our heroine must put in at her place of employment that each scene we observe holds us enthralled.

When, at last, in the film's final shot, we see the street outside, TrustMovies was suddenly jolted into the awareness that he'd been kept inside the hotel for the entire duration. And he had not minded at all. This is thanks in equal measure to Avilés, her crack technical staff, and especially her exceptional leading lady, the wonderful Gabriela Cartol, shown above and below. Ms Cartol may initially appear, as her character Evelia, rather mousy and unprepossessing, but by the finale, I suspect you will find her, as did I, beautiful, intelligent, enterprising, sexy and as full of life as you could ever want any woman to be.

Along the way, we discover many different aspects of Evelia's existence -- how she works (and what a very good worker she is), her life outside the hotel (even though we only hear and/or hear about this), her co-workers, and even to an extent (in a very surprising scene) her "love" life. We get a feeling for how things "work" at this hotel -- politically and otherwise -- even we meet a few of the hotel's guests. And, yes, they're just as wealthy and entitled as you might imagine. But they're also not -- some of them, at least -- total creeps.

There's a GED class on premises, too, as well as a possible promotion in store for our girl, and maybe even a lovely red dress she has found and placed "dibs" on, should it not be claimed by the guest who left it. There's a child (the infant of a guest) for whom she is suddenly caring during her busy day, along with her own child, whom it is clear she seldom sees. And there's a funny, slightly strange co-worker (played with great verve and humor by Teresa Sánchez, above and below, right) who bonds with Evelia, even as she uses her.

By the finale, you'll be as firmly in the shoes and soul of Evelia as would seem possible in the space of just 102 minutes in this graceful, lean-yet-packed look at the Mexican workplace that offers up class, economics and culture without ever jamming its ideas down our throats or creating typical hiss-worthy villains. Oh, everything's there, all right, but the great strength of the movie is how Evelia can, by virtue of character, rise above it.
Well, almost.

From Kino Lorber, in Spanish with English subtitles, The Chambermaid has its U.S. theatrical premiere this coming Wednesday, June 26, in New York City at Film Forum. The following Friday, July 5, it opens in San Francisco (at the Roxie) and Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Royal) before venturing out to a few more cities. Click here to view all currently scheduled playdates and theaters.

Everything you could ask for in a film: Margherita Buy in Maria Sole Tognazzi's A FIVE-STAR LIFE

When I first saw this little gem of a movie -- last year at the FSLC's Open Roads -- I found it a very enjoyable crowd-pleaser. (My review from 2013 is here.) Its original Italian title is Viaggio sola, which translates, I believe to I Travel Alone -- a perfectly fine moniker for this unusual film that walks a near-perfect line between main-stream entertainment and movie art. That title has now been changed to A FIVE-STAR LIFE, and while, initially, I felt the change unnecessary, seeing the film a second time makes me realize how smart a move this is.

The director/co-writer, Maria Sole Tognazzi (shown below), has here fashioned a tale of a woman, Irene -- played by the fine Italian actress, Margherita Buy (above), who won the Donatello award (think of it as the Italian "Oscar") for her excellent work -- whose job it is to play the "mystery guest" at five-star hotels around the world, staying in each as would normal guest, but rating that hotel for everything from its staff to its food to its cleanliness and more.

In addition to the sheer pleasure of seeing these luminous hotels (and almost feeling we're experiencing them ourselves), we get to know quite intimately Irene herself, and her relationships with family and one particular friend, played by the fine actor Steffano Accorsi (shown below), and even with some of the hotel guests whom she meets in her travels. There's one pair of newlyweds whom Irene takes under her wing when the hotel itself drops the ball, another very attractive older man with an eye for our gal,

and finally a wonderfully in-your-face anthropologist and lecturer played by Lesley Manville (below, left), the connection with whom jolts Irene into reassessing her life and relationships and what she might really be seeking. All of this is woven quite beautifully and naturally into the screenplay. There is no undue exposition; we learn as we move along.

So keenly aware are Tognazzi and her co-writers, the wonderful Ivan Cotroneo, and Francesca Marciano, of the little things that make up character, that virtually every character in the film, small or large, rings truthful and fascinating, which means that we never for an instant lose interest in the movie and its rather large cast.

In that cast are Irene's family: a sister, brother-in-law (lovely performances from Fabrizia Sacchi and GianMarcoTognazzi, shown respectively, left and right, above) and two nieces (shown below). They have their own problems, too, which we come to understand, appreciate and even enjoy.

Despite the Italian title, we are traveling with Irene every step of the journey, seeing things through her eyes and grappling with them via her mind and heart. It's rare for a movie to place us this close to its heroine, and what a joy it is to be there. Ms Buy, always a wonder to watch, may have outdone herself here. If you've not seen her work previously, this is a fine place to start.

A Five-Star Life -- from Music Box Films and running a sleek 85 minutes -- is one of the best films to open theatrically so far this year. It knows what it wants to accomplish and does exactly that -- in one of those rare cases of "reach" and "grasp" coordinating perfectly.

In New York City, look for the film at The Paris Theater, and in the weeks to come will open in cities across the country. Click here, then click on THEATERS to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities & theaters.