Contratempos

If you have ever had to juggle full-time work with parenting then you will appreciate this French movie, FULL TIME. The story follows Julie as she tries to secure a job that will enable her to better provide for her child. However, things do not go according to plan when a national transit strike throws a wrench in her plans.

The film does an excellent job of portraying the difficulties of working mothers. Julie is constantly torn between her responsibilities at work and her duties at home. She is also under a lot of pressure to perform well at both. This can be very relatable for many viewers who may have experienced similar situations in their own lives.

The lead actress, Laure Calamy, does an amazing job of conveying the emotional roller coaster that Julie is on throughout the film. She can capture the frustration, anxiety, and determination that comes with trying to balance work and motherhood. And the cinematography by Victor Seguin brilliantly shows the frenetic pace of the city and the director, Eric Gravel, chose to colour-correct Paris to make it look cold and hostile to Julie.

Overall, FULL TIME is a well-written and acted film that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to juggle full-time work and parenting. It is a relatable and moving story that is sure to leave you feeling empathy for single working mothers everywhere.

Laura Calamy runs for her life, in a sense, and for the live of her children. There is no monster or serial killer out to get her: the challenge of this divorced mother of two, who has dropped long ago out of her career to raise her offspring, and now has to eke out a living by working as a chambermaid, is to make ends meet. We are in Ken Loach territory here, but À plein temps couldn't be more different, and frankly it's heads and shoulder above most of Loach's works. For a start, it's shot like a thriller: it's fast paced, and dry. It doesn't hector or guilt-trip the spectator; it doesn't depict its protagonist like a saint either: Julie Roy is as flawed as most people are. She is smart, can even be crafty, but has no time for moral refinement: for her, it's sink or swim, and she is determined to not sink (her only moment of genuine doubt arrives in the last third of the movie, in the scene at the station. The camera lingers on her back in one of the rare long shots in the film, and yet somehow we can read her thoughts -- this is the work of an author who truly masters their craft).

What put Julie in this situation is ultimately left to the spectator to decide. Has she at least partially brought it onto her by buying into a 50s-style suburban life myth? Is it society who has lost all empathy? Is there hope for her? I won't spoil the ending, but suffice to say, it's as powerful and dry and hard-hitting as the rest of the movie.

À plein temps is giving me hope for French cinema. It's a great movie. Don't miss it.

This is remarkable film that will feel utterly familiar to any parent with young children and quite unrelatable to anyone else. Perhaps even more familiar if you're a single parent with a dead-end job struggling to stay off welfare and keep your kids.

The backdrop is France, and specifically Paris, during a time of chaos as worker's strike. This rather echoes the current industrial action paralyzing the UK and forcing the working poor closer to the edge. If you can't work from home then this action is a dagger to the heart forcing you to run, run, run for dear life.

In "Full Time" that's Julie's world in a nutshell. To the backdrop of an insistent soundtrack that raises the tension to a high pitch she's constantly rushing from one crisis to another. Stress, fear and worry are etched into her features as she tries to avoid letting anyone down as the world conspires against her.

This is so utterly "not Hollywood" with no particular story arc, character development or artful dialog - instead it just "is" and we are voyeurs to a life slowly falling to pieces. Step by step Julie edges closer to the precipice. It's impossible to look away but deeply uncomfortable at the same time.

I guess this means that "Full Time" won't appeal to every audience but my oh my you should make the effort to catch it while you can. If you're looking for more than just pure escapism this is a film that captures a miniature of life in compelling detail.

In 1973, you had a French comedy called ELLE COURT ELLE COURT LA BANLIEUE, speaking of the hectic daily life of a suburban woman going to work every day, using public transportation, the kind of scheme in which millions of people could recognize themselves in. This one is not really a comedy, because it may be disturbing to watch, when you realize the hell this poor woman, mother of two, has to fight like a dog to survive, between a stressful job - she works in a Parisian palace, as a sort of supervisor - public transportation strike hell - so typical of France, the STRIKE KINGDOM in the world, financial problems, unbearable kids, problems to take care fo them when she works, a new job...You suffer for her, you feel dizzy for her, you may watch yourself in a mirror viewing this so realistic story. Maybe it's too much, I mean "too many" problems occur to this poor woman. It can't be possible that so many cataclysms happen on this casualty of modern world. I was surprised by the way she got rid off the big shipment from the van. Very ingenious, this is the kind of scene you may see in a crime film, about hoodlums pulling a heist. A jewel of a film, a mirror of the modern world, especially in France, my homeland, where a transportation bus line, train or subway may be stopped for hours just when a passenger feels sick, faints, or pukes. France where chaos, mess, jam everywhere is written in the Constitution. And I am in the best position to say this. France....

Éric Gravel's "Full Time" is a well-crafted film that follows a single mother, Julie (Laure Calamy), as she tries to make ends meet in a society that seems stacked against her. The movie has a fast-paced feel reminiscent of "Run Lola Run," while also offering a story that viewers can relate to on a personal level. Julie's job as the head chambermaid of a hotel is not ideal, and she's determined to land a better job at a marketing firm. However, with a citywide transit strike and her dependence on public transportation, she faces challenges in reaching her interview on time.

The film's technical aspects, such as Mathilde Van de Moortel's editing and Irene Dresel's score, add to the tension and keep viewers on edge. Julie's determination to better herself is admirable, but the film does not shy away from showing her flaws. Although the movie lacks a strong statement about the strike and organized labor, it is an intelligent and engaging story about a familiar struggle. Gravel's film blends tension and humanism to create an impactful experience.