Elite Finishing School Hides Dark Secrets

A doc-fiction film titled "Small Talk" is set to premiere at the Locarno Festival, offering a portrait of social elites and the power dynamics within their daughters' education. Directed by Mateo Ybarra, the film centers on Villa Pierrefou, Switzerland's last finishing school, where a six-week summer course costs €30,000 ($35,000), attracting students exclusively from the world's social elite.

The film contrasts this with its protagonist, Charlie, a working-class student who finds herself mentored by her peers on how to assimilate. Director Ybarra explains that "small talk" at Villa Pierrefeu is not casual conversation but a taught instrument for navigating elite codes, acting as a site where norms and hierarchies are enacted. The film questions what such institutions reveal about gender, class, and power today.

International sales for "Small Talk" have been acquired by Urban Sales, with the film set to be marketed at the Locarno Festival. The movie's unique form, raw realism, and compelling central character were highlighted as key attractions by Urban Sales. The film's exploration of subtle pressures and the "quiet violence" of adjustment through care rather than constraint aims to resonate internationally.