Contratempos

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.

What a movie. Well directed; well acted; it never stops; and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Any working parent will get this film and any single working parent will relate to the decisions and life choices this incredibly hard working mum has to make each day and each minute.

If anyone says Hollywood does thrillers and dramas, come and watch a story without car chases, without explosions, just the drama and emotion of real life.

Two years after this film was released, it is more relevant than ever. Increased prices for food, heating, petrol and public services have taken off in Europe over the past year. Many feel enormous pressure. Especially those in low-wage jobs, like the main character in this poignant social drama that unfolds in Paris. Rarely have I seen a film that gets the message across to such an extent. Social drama yes, but the pace of the lead actor almost takes your breath away. Time is of the essence here. And to make both the money last, in a world where being poor makes them incredibly vulnerable and with very little to go on before the disaster is a fact. If so, this film is a wake-up call. Because it gives an insight into how many people live now. Gripping and topical film that I highly recommend. Thank you and praise that films of this format are still being made. Eye-opening film.

Pretty much this and a pursuit of happiness are the most relatable movie I've seen to a period in my life that though hard played a big roll in making me the man I am today. Living in any major city in American can be tough high rents, low wages, marital issues... It's really tough to be a single parent especially if you don't have grandparents or family support. Watching this women sprint to a train, hustle at work, rely on the blessings of dumb luck to get home and back to work is exactly the agst and anxiety that was my life for over a decade. This film is honest and tough to watch at moments. The director did a great job of making every moment feel tense and rushed..... Because that's what it feels like in that situation always. Here are two all the hardworking good parents building trampolines in the dark when they have to get up early..... Great movie.