Cantet’s award-winning début feature is a proudly leftist portrait of a father-son relationship set against a struggle between workers and management. Franck (Lespert) returns to his hometown from business school in Paris. He’s landed a job in the human resources department of the factory where his father still works. But Franck’s idealistic plans are soon put to the test, exposing rifts in the workplace, not least between proud father and determined son. Cantet’s strategy of casting unemployed non-actors who’ve held the same jobs as their characters ensures an immediate and powerful authenticity.
In association with European Political Cinema course.