A Five Star Life (2014)

One of the opening credits states that the film was made “with the support of the Leading Hotels of the World.” According to Wikipedia, this is the largest collection of luxury hotels in the world, and they are routinely inspected to ensure they maintain the highest standards.  I know from the Coen brother's movie 'Fargo' that filmmakers can play loose with the truth in these credits, but the premise is entirely believable.

Irene, the main character, is one of the luxury hotel inspectors.  It seems like a dream job, no?  Maybe it would be for a month or even a year, but after a while there is almost a grind about it.  Never home, never left alone, always having someone attend to your every need.  At one point a fellow guest confesses that she has tipped her attendant a 100 euros to leave her alone.

The movie is strangely soothing in it's rhythm.  It shows something not often seen in films-- it shows an ordinary citizen doing her job. The screenplay nimbly works in other characters, such as when Irene recruits her two nieces to help her test how a hotel treats families. But a large part of the movie is simply Irene doing her job while dealing with the pitfalls of the career lifestyle she has chosen. The geographical and architectural eye-candy, and the constant flow of information on how the job is done, were icing on the cake.  The question of what is meaningful work and where does it fit into a rewarding life are backdrops to the main action.