At the Movies: Little Hands… Why should you see this social comedy starring Corinne Masiero as a chambermaid in a grand mansion?

This Wednesday, May 1, a symbolic day for all workers in France, the social comedy Petites mains, which portrays a group of chambermaids in a grand palace in Paris, is in theaters. After Placés, in which he was inspired by his own experiences as a teacher, director Nessim Chikhauy returns with a second feature film that is just as committed and influential.

The film tells the story of Eve, who was not prepared for the demands of a large hotel. Joining the team of housewives, she meets colleagues with strong personalities: Safietu, Aisata, Violette and Simone. Between the laughter and the hard hitting, the young woman discovers a united and unified team in the face of adversity. When a social movement disrupts life in the palace, each of these “little hands” will be faced with their own choices.

Behind the scenes of palaces…

The story of these everyday heroines reflects the struggles of several groups of women who have been in the news in recent years, starting with the “Kellys” movement in Spain in 2017, followed by the Park Maids Hyatt in 2018 and more recently. Paris hotel Ibis Batignolles, whose struggle after a 22-month strike ended in 2021 with a historic agreement.

Rachel Keke, the government representative who spearheaded the movement and has now become a Member of Parliament, also helped. Nesim Chikhauy and to his co-author Helen Fillier in the writing process. The two screenwriters also collected many testimonials to make the film as close to reality as possible.

In a way, the story is almost personal to the director, who explains: “I know these women, they touch me. This work was done by my aunt who came from Tunisia, and the mothers of my friends also did it. And mine, which was not a chamber, was a “small hand”. These are the people who make me want to make movies.“

Despite the importance and seriousness of her subject, Nessim Chikhauy manages to accurately address the working conditions of these women while maintaining a bright and cheerful tone. And this good humor that shines on the screen is especially due to the sense of humor that comes from this choral film.

Gallery of loving women

To give young Eva her features, the director turned to Lucy Charles-Alfred, who already played the role in her first feature film in 2022. She played Emma, ​​a rebellious teenager who is welcomed into the Caractère Social orphanage where Elias, the teacher at the center of the film, works.” It stood out right away because he completely blew me away in Placed and I wrote it in his mind.“

small hands Also makes time for the other maids, played by Corinne Masiero, Marie-Sona Condé, Salimata Kamate and Maimuna Gueye, who take Eva under their wing. “For me, all the characters are equally important, these little hands are necessary, both for the hotel and for each other“, the director notes.

The director’s obvious choice was also the former housewife, actress Corinne Masiero, who is especially familiar to the audience thanks to her roles in Captain Marlowe. “It was very important to me that the actress who was going to play Simone kept her true faith. I was very happy that he accepted, only he could interpret the character of Simon.

Kul Shanni, Abdallah Charki and Mariama Guei star in the film.

Discover the comedy Little Hands in theaters today.