Elegance School: Fiction Meets Reality

The hybrid film "Small Talk" is set to debut at the Locarno Film Festival on August 11th. Directed by Mateo Ybarra, the feature stars Hélène Bares as Charlie, who enrolls in Switzerland's sole remaining etiquette school for women. Her goal is to secure a position within the exclusive luxury industry.

The film intricately weaves documentary elements with fiction, examining underlying gender roles, class structures, and the concept of female empowerment. Real women participating in the course and its staff are featured, blurring the lines between performance and reality within the educational setting.

Director Mateo Ybarra highlighted the film's exploration of identity within high society. Actress Hélène Bares genuinely participated in the six-week intensive course alongside other students and staff, who also appear as themselves. This approach immerses viewers in the authentic experience of the institution.

"Small Talk" delves into the historical context of finishing schools, once common for educating young women for societal roles. The film questions the relevance and function of such an institution in contemporary society, particularly its presentation as a space free from male influence, aimed at equipping women for a patriarchal world.