Ressources humaines
Encyclopedia
Human Resources is a 1999 French film directed by Laurent Cantet
. As the name implies, the subject of the film is the workplace and the personal difficulties that result from conflicts between management and labour, corporations and individuals. It stars Jalil Lespert
. Most of the other actors are non-professionals. It won numerous international awards and was one of the featured films at the 2005 Traverse City Film Festival
. It is available on DVD with English subtitles.
, Normandy
, the movie tells the story of "good son" Franck (Jalil Lespert), who returns to his hometown to do a trainee managerial internship in the Human Resources department of the factory where his anxious, taciturn father has worked for 30 years. At first Franck is lauded by both friends and family for breaking through the glass ceiling
and becoming "white-collar". But very soon hidden envy and rivalries erupt. Franck forms a friendship with Alain, a young worker whom his father has mentored. This mentoring in the blue-collar workforce is contrasted with the cagier, trust-less mentoring Franck receives in the white-collar world from his own supervisor, Chambon.
Franck discovers that his boss is going to use Franck's field study on the proposed 35-hour workweek
to justify downsizing - and that Franck's father is among those to be let go. This leads to a confrontation between the trainee and management, between the workers and the owners, and ultimately between son and father. In the emotional climax, Franck confronts his father and accuses him of imbuing him with a legacy of shame at being blue-collar.
The movie ends with Franck asking Alain (and presumably the viewer), "What is your place? When are you leaving?", placing clear social and political value on individual choice in the workplace.
Laurent Cantet
Laurent Cantet is a French director, born on June 15, 1961 at Melle . His parents were schoolteachers in Ardilleux.On 25 May 2008, he received the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes 2008, for the movie Entre les murs.- As director :...
. As the name implies, the subject of the film is the workplace and the personal difficulties that result from conflicts between management and labour, corporations and individuals. It stars Jalil Lespert
Jalil Lespert
Jalil Lespert is a French actor, screenwriter and director.Born to a French father, actor Jean Lespert, and an Algerian mother. He studied law before turning to acting, to please his mother who is a jurist...
. Most of the other actors are non-professionals. It won numerous international awards and was one of the featured films at the 2005 Traverse City Film Festival
Traverse City Film Festival
The Traverse City Film Festival is an annual film festival held every late July through early August in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival was created as an annual event in 2005 to help “save one of America's few indigenous art forms—the cinema." The event was co-founded by Michael Moore, the...
. It is available on DVD with English subtitles.
Plot & theme
Set in GaillonGaillon
Gaillon is a commune in the Eure department in northern France.-History:The origins of Gaillon are not really known. In 892, Rollo, a Viking chief, might have ravaged Gaillon and the region, before he became the first prince of the Normans and count of Rouen in 911.The Gaillon history did begin,...
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, the movie tells the story of "good son" Franck (Jalil Lespert), who returns to his hometown to do a trainee managerial internship in the Human Resources department of the factory where his anxious, taciturn father has worked for 30 years. At first Franck is lauded by both friends and family for breaking through the glass ceiling
Glass ceiling
In economics, the term glass ceiling refers to "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." Initially, the metaphor applied to barriers in the careers of women but...
and becoming "white-collar". But very soon hidden envy and rivalries erupt. Franck forms a friendship with Alain, a young worker whom his father has mentored. This mentoring in the blue-collar workforce is contrasted with the cagier, trust-less mentoring Franck receives in the white-collar world from his own supervisor, Chambon.
Franck discovers that his boss is going to use Franck's field study on the proposed 35-hour workweek
35-hour workweek
The 35-hour working week is a measure adopted first in France, in February 2000, under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government; it was pushed by Minister of Labour Martine Aubry. The previous legal duration of the working week was 39 hours, which had been established by François...
to justify downsizing - and that Franck's father is among those to be let go. This leads to a confrontation between the trainee and management, between the workers and the owners, and ultimately between son and father. In the emotional climax, Franck confronts his father and accuses him of imbuing him with a legacy of shame at being blue-collar.
The movie ends with Franck asking Alain (and presumably the viewer), "What is your place? When are you leaving?", placing clear social and political value on individual choice in the workplace.