Coûte que coûte

"At all costs" is a documentary made by Claire Simon. It deals with a little firm that prepares dishes. These dishes are delivered at home. Unfortunately, this firm is on the verge of bankruptcy. However, the manager and the wage-earners do everything to get through: extra work, overtime etc... Will this extra work be sufficient to avoid the closing of the firm.

The merit of this particular documentary is to show the courage of these wage-earners. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, they remain very united. But apart from his, "At all costs" is very boring because the sequences are very repetitive and are all alike. A monotonous and an empty documentary so all apologies to Claire Simon.

I saw this film at BAFICI and I swear I love French films. But this one did everything in order to put me to sleep. I did see it until the end, anyway. The story isn't the problem here, as this documentary talks about a small company, its owner and employees. And deals with the usual problem a company gets into with a bad management. The problem is this film is way too long and slow. I guess Simon could fix this by removing about 30 minutes of repeated concepts. That way this film would be suitable for cinema. Just like it is right now, you can see it on a TV channel. With some commercials in the middle to wake you up. The last scene is the best one out of the whole film.

Coute que coute, the Claire Simon documentary, is a pure jewel. The sort of film you discover by luck while practicing the so common TV zapping attitude. Once you see the first images, you can't stop until the end. Wishing to know what happens to those human beings so delicately filmed by Claire Simon. No paternalistic attitude in this film, no condescending judgment, just an intelligent, tender, and noticeable regard from the director. Of course and sadly, we're not used to be respected as individuals able to think by ourselves. Yes! A documentary can be something else than a boring and heavy explanation of the filmmaker's intentions. No need to use a voice-off or insistent images when you've got Claire Simon's talent. Thanks to her and all her pairs.