All these strike signs and this commotion in front of the Palace are clearly causing disorder… For the cleaning ladies who continue to work inside, the situation is doubly tense. Because of the atmosphere of distrust, but also because of the extra work that this causes….
When she sees Eva (Lucie Charles-Alfred), the new temporary worker responsible for replacing one of the strikers, arrive, Simone (Corinne Masiero) grinds her teeth. Training her will waste her time and complicate her task, while the cleaning of each room is timed… This is a day that is off to a bad start, especially as Simone is finding it more and more difficult to hide her lower back pain.
A social comedy inspired by true events
Execrable working conditions, pressure, inequalities, tensions… The film Little hands well illustrates the fight that paralyzed the Palace Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme for three months at the end of 2018, introducing the class struggle into the very heart of this cozy lair, accustomed to luxury and refinement. A fundamental struggle which goes far beyond the framework of France alone…
The fight of employees of a luxury hotel in Brussels
Tired of the invisibility and contempt that hit them, but also of the subcontracting that makes their situation even more precarious, the workers, supported by their union – a role taken on, in particular, by the rapper Kool Shen – are well decided to not give up and win your case. So that their life of work, impossible schedules and muscular pain is paid at its true value.
We remember this exemplary fight against rich owners who did not hesitate to take advantage of the vulnerability of their workers of foreign origin. The film retraces their fight with empathy and even a touch of humor, but the words of all these courageous women deserved to be conveyed with more force and nuance. Archival images appearing at times stronger than fiction.
Helped in particular by the rebellious smile of the French actress Lucie Charles-Alfred, the new film by Nessim Chikhaoui (Placed) takes a useful, but sometimes too detailed and clumsy, look at subcontracting in an essential profession, in the service sector, which is often invisible.
Corinne Masiero (The Invisibles), much more framed and discreet than in his role as Captain Marleaushines as a dignified, perfectionist and determined maid.
Little hands Signs and rags OfNessim ChikhaouiScenarioNessim Chikhaoui, Hélène FillièresWithCorinne Masiero, Lucie Charles-Alfred, Mariama Gueye, Kool Shen, Salimata KamateDuration1h27
