The film Princesas premiered in 2005, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa who was also the screenwriter ("Princesas"). León de Aranoa is a Spanish filmmaker who studied Imaging Science at the Complutense University of Madrid. He is also well known for his films: Mondays in the Sun, Family, Barrio, and A Perfect Day. In 2002, he won the Concha de Oro at the International Film Festival of San Sebastian. In 2003, he received a Goya Award for Best Film and for Best Director. In 2016, he also won the Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Overall, León de Aranoa's films focus on the unfortunate social realities of Spanish Culture ("Fernando León de Aranoa"). Princesas is no different in this aspect.
In Princesas, Candela Peña plays the role of Caye. Peña has been in many films but is best known for her roles in the movies: All About My Mother, Princesas, and Take My Eyes ("Candela Peña"). The other main character, Zulema, is played by Micaela Nevárez, an actress from Puerto Rico whose first film was Princesas, with which she won the Goya for Best New Actress ("Micaela Nevárez"). Both play the roles of prostitutes in Madrid, Caye a native Spaniard and Zulema an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. They meet one day by accident when Zulema is with one of Caye's clients. Because of this immediate conflict which is matched by the already existent tension between immigrant prostitutes who work on the street and Spanish prostitutes whose role is a bit more hidden, their relationship starts off rocky. However, they quickly become friends after Caye discovers Zulema in trouble. The film focuses on their relationship but also on many other relevant themes. Starting in the 90s, immigration to Spain became a very big commonplace especially from places like Latin America and the Caribbean during their rising economic hardship. Furthermore, in Spain, thirty nine percent of men have had an experience with a prostitute at some point in their life and there are about 300,000 prostitutes that work in Spain. This is possibly due to the idea of prostitution as a freedom that the people were deprived of during the regime of Francisco Franco (Fotheringham). Princesas' plot takes place within the backdrop of these concepts.
Throughout the film the song "Me Llaman Calle" by Manu Chao continues to play and bridges the gap between Caye and Zulema. Although Caye is a prostitute, she comes from a middle class family and isn't one of the "street prostitutes". She and her friends sit in a hair salon waiting for johns to call during the day, while other prostitutes who they consider to be below them like Zulema work out in the street. Although Caye's name is "street" just spelled differently, Zulema literally is a representation of the streets. One part of the song translates to "they call me whore, princess also, they call me street, it's my nobility." Another part of the song transmits the idea that one day good men will come looking for them for the rest of their lives without paying for them. There is a point when the girls find a couple guys at a bar and seem to actually like them. When they walk away Caye asks Zulema if she's going to charge the man and Zulema responds by saying "no, today we aren't whores, today we're princesses." Although some may look at this with a negative connotation of girls who need men to save them, in my opinion it's a moment of hope within a film that demonstrates a very dark reality. The idea of being "princesses" instead of "whores" allows them to be people instead of objects. This song provides a successful transition from many different points of the film and helps the viewer to connect with the music, the movie, and the characters. By providing a sense of familiarity with context, it helps the viewer understand what they should feel.
Overall, Princesas does a good job of demonstrating the difficult reality and context of prostitution, immigration, and discrimination in Spain by pulling the viewer in to feel emotionally connected and compelled to do something about the problems. There are many difficult scenes to watch including but not limited to one when Caye is on a date with a man that she really likes and goes to the bathroom. She's followed by a man who knows she's a prostitute and demands sex from her. From the audience's perspective, it's especially difficult to accept what is happening because moments ago they were given hope that Caye's lifestyle could be changing. When the man enters, hope is lost and the viewer is returned to the cruel reality. Another especially difficult scene takes place in the hospital after Zulema decides to get checked out. She is called in to get her results and immediately collapses to the ground. She appears to be in an immense amount of emotional pain and it can be assumed that the results were of grave nature. These scenes along with others aren't exactly the most enjoyable moments, but they're crucial. Princesas is worth seeing once the context is understood. However, for those simply looking for an easy movie to watch for fun, it may not be the best option. It's a serious film that deserves real thought and reflection.
*In writing this review, I accessed other sources to find contextual information in order to improve the content. These sources are cited parenthetically and the Works Cited is below, however due to formatting requirements the links had to be omitted.
Works Cited
"Candela Peña." IMDb.
"Fernando León de Aranoa." Spain is Culture,
Fotheringham, Alasdair. "Spain, the world capital of prostitution?" The Independent, 5 Dec. 2010. Accessed 6 May 2017.
"Micaela Nevárez." IMDb.
"Princesas." IMDb.
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