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Eight Hours Don't Make a Day
Full Time is an Incredible (and Stressful) Experience
April 7, 2023 at 8:00 AM
Haut et Court
4.5/5 stars
It was theorized that as technology advanced, the human race would require less time at work. That theory has been thoroughly debunked in the late-stage capitalist nightmare of the modern world, where a 40 hour work week isn't enough to get by and every hobby and interest is encouraged to be monetized in our "hustle culture." Almost on-cue, French filmmaker Éric Gravel gives us Full Time, one of the most anxiety-inducing films in recent memory. Gravel is able to pull an incredible amount of suspense from daily life where simply making it through the week feels like a Herculean task.
Full Time chronicles a week in the life of Julie Roy (Laure Calamy), a single mother of two who works as a housekeeper for a high-end Paris hotel. But, she has an interview scheduled for a marketing research job that could lead to a better life for her and her children. Now Julie must alternate between her job and her children and still make it to her interview. This is exacerbated by a mass labor strike that has ground all public transit to a halt.
Though a basic slice of life story, Gravel shoots it with the frenetic energy of a suspense thriller. The tight, documentary-style cinematography combined with the rapid-fire editing and thumping synth soundtrack make this feel like an intimate, socially conscious film from the Dardenne Brothers colliding with Run Lola Run. Gravel is clearly aiming for a bigger social statement, but he brilliantly condenses that statement into a very personal story. Anyone who's ever spent a significant amount of time with too much on their schedule will find Full Time unbearably relatable.
Full Time is available on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube. Written and directed by Éric Gravel // Starring Laure Calamy, Anne Suarez, Genevieve Mnich, Nolan Arizmendi, Sasha Lemaitre Cremaschi, Cyril Gueï, Cyril Masson, Lucie Gallo, Agathe Dronne, Mathilde Weil, Dana Fiaque, Marème N'Diaye, and Olivier Faliez // 88 minutes // Unrated ('R' equivalent)