The Chess Player

(El Jugador de Ajedrez)

Luis Oliveros / Spain / 2018 / 97 min
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  • WORLDFEST HOUSTON

    BEST HISTORICAL FILM, BEST ACTOR

  • VUES DU MONDE FESTIVAL - MONTREAL

    BEST SOUNDTRACK

  • ONIROS FILMS AWARDS

    Best film, BEST SOUNDTRACK

  • Malaga INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

  • TOKYO INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

  • CALCUTTA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

  • GOYA AWARDS

    42 NOMINATIONS
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Synopsis

Spanish with English subtitles

With Marc Clotet, Melina Matthews, Alejo Sauras

With an impressive 42 Goya Award nominations and adapted from Julio Castedo’s novel, The Chess Player follows Chess champion Diego Padilla as he falls in love with French journalist Marianne Latour in 1934 Spain. Two years later, the couple decides to relocate to France with their young daughter, to avoid the Spanish Civil War. Once there,  Padilla is falsely accused of espionage by the Nazis and imprisoned in a SS prison.

Behind bars, Diego grapples with the challenges of a hostile environment, finding solace in the shared passion for chess with Colonel Maier, the enigmatic and unpredictable commanding officer. Maier, a figure of hieratic authority, introduces an element of hedonism to the prison setting, creating a backdrop of tension and intrigue as Diego strives to navigate the perilous circumstances surrounding him.

Related Subjects
About the Director
Luis Oliveros has worked as an assistant director on more than 30 films, TV series, and advertising for directors such as Fernando Colomo, Vicente Aranda, and Antonio Mercero. His debut feature film is Pata Negra, an adventure comedy starring Gabino Diego. He also directed several episodes of series such as Manolito Gafotas and Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste, as well as The Angel of Budapest, winner of the 2012 Ondas award for best mini-series.
Press

“A beautiful touching story that comes to the eyes directly from the heart.” – Eduardo Torre-Dulce, EXPANSION

“A film that tells us about life.” – Andrés Arconada, Libertad Digital

Notes on the Film

“The Chess Player teaches us the horror of a confrontation that gave rise to one of the most dramatic and terrible events that humanity has faced. All the characters in the film are just pieces of that immense board that is the Europe of World War II and through our protagonist, a simple black pawn, we will discover the individual, even personal, dimension of the war.

Our protagonist, Diego Padilla, a good man, an enemy of extremism and violence, and a brilliant chess player, will be driven to search within himself for the strength necessary to survive the misery and barbarity of conflicts that he barely understands. Like bishops, rooks, and pawns, our protagonists will be involved in an era that takes them by surprise and will mark them forever.

The Chess Player is a realistic film, with a simple and sober visual style but a deep and shocking message. The viewer will recognize through its characters the faces of cruelty, aggressiveness, selfishness, greed, and corruption, but also those of love, friendship, sacrifice, and solidarity, thus revealing the duality of the human condition.”

– Luis Oliveros, Director

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