Joseph Cross (Lindon), a construction manager about to pour the largest concrete slab in Europe, suddenly drops everything to rush from the distant suburbs to a Parisian maternity hospital, where a woman carrying his child is due to give birth. During the journey, which is also the duration of the film, Joseph tries to resolve a triple emergency by telephone: to manage the construction site remotely via a terrified assistant, to confess to his wife this illegitimate paternity that has been concealed for a long time, and during this time to reassure the woman in labor who is in the midst of a panic attack.
It's a remake of "lock" starring Tom Hardy .The fact that everything (but the first minutes) takes place in a car may be off-putting for the audience ; the action consists of phone calls ,but although he's got a good job and knows a lot of important people, the hero is lonelier than the loneliest of creatures in his car which is running along an endless highway to get to the hospital where a fragile woman whose labor runs into difficulties awaits .
Thanks to Vincent Lindon's talent ,we can sit through this thankless movie which is very short anyway (77 min); and in the end we are none the wiser about the hero 's psychology : has he been a good father? A good husband? Has his job taken the best of him? Does he want to redeem himself ,by coming ,like an ancient knight on his charger ,to a frail damsel in distress?
Lindon ,although a character actor ,can keep things vague ; hats off to his performance , a really one man show!
