In "Les femmes du 6e étage" the man of a rich couple visits the 6th floor of his apartment building. This is the floor where the housekeepers live. Immediate cause are complaints about overdue maintenance. As a consequence of this vist the man sees the difference between his own sterile marriage and the community spirit and joie de vivre between the housekeepers.
In "Toto le héros" (1991, Jaco van Dormael) a poor boy is jealous of a rich boy and at the end of the film discovers that the opposite is also true. The rich boy thinks that the poor boy has less formalities to adhere to.
I thought that after the financial crisis of 2008 the jealousy of rich people towards poor people would have disappeared. Two films from a couple of years after the financial crisis suggests otherwise. Apart from "Les femmes du 6e étage" (2010) I am talking about "Intouchables" (2011, Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano). In both films rich people have to meet poor, immigrant people to recover their lust for life.
Both of these films are comedy's and feel good movies, but "Intouchables" at least shows us a shred of the reality of the poor, situating a few scenes in the banlieus of France. Also the rich person in "Intouchables" is more credible, partly because he is based on a real person. The rich man in "Les femmes du 6e étage" is such a good guy that it is hard to belief that he is a securities trader for profession.
All in all "Les femmes du 6e étage" is good for a plaesant evening, but it is too tame and too much feel good to be great.
In "Toto le héros" (1991, Jaco van Dormael) a poor boy is jealous of a rich boy and at the end of the film discovers that the opposite is also true. The rich boy thinks that the poor boy has less formalities to adhere to.
I thought that after the financial crisis of 2008 the jealousy of rich people towards poor people would have disappeared. Two films from a couple of years after the financial crisis suggests otherwise. Apart from "Les femmes du 6e étage" (2010) I am talking about "Intouchables" (2011, Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano). In both films rich people have to meet poor, immigrant people to recover their lust for life.
Both of these films are comedy's and feel good movies, but "Intouchables" at least shows us a shred of the reality of the poor, situating a few scenes in the banlieus of France. Also the rich person in "Intouchables" is more credible, partly because he is based on a real person. The rich man in "Les femmes du 6e étage" is such a good guy that it is hard to belief that he is a securities trader for profession.
All in all "Les femmes du 6e étage" is good for a plaesant evening, but it is too tame and too much feel good to be great.