Although taking place in the late fifities Canada , "les mains nettes " has a contemporary feel ;it's a very pessimistic work,depicting the "dog eat dog" boss-and -staff world in a manner which excludes cardboard characters, pathos,end sentimentality ; halfway between documentary and fiction, it's almost nouvelle vague before their French cousins , filmed in stark and white mostly in an office where the manager,a newcomer ,wants to modernize his subordinates' work .
"Divide and rule" could be his motto ; he takes one of his inferiors as a secretary and the woman's attitude is women's lib at a time the word was unknown : however much he's the boss-although he confesses he's not really handsome!- , however much he promises her good prospects ,Marguerite refuses to sleep with him;the man's behavior is ambiguous too: he considers himself a failure, he's no longer in love with his wife ,emotional blackmail ,but is he sincere?
He tries to attract an educated young guy as his right-hand man .And the old employees (he's been working in the factory for 45 years!) are in the way , they are dead weights ,they must go !
The subordinates try to react to these ominous events ; they try to form an union, to show some class solidarity.But they do not know what terrible fate lay in store for them : the older employee is a naive man who still believes in old values which are trampled on in the new world they are to build.
In a short movie (hardly 75 min) , the director succeeds in creating non-carboard characters ; and even a false happy end : Marguerite's last phone call leaves her desperate , having lost her faith in the human race.
