Human Resources (film)

Ressources humaines
File:Ressources humaines.jpg Film poster
Directed by	Laurent Cantet
Produced by	Caroline Benjo Carole Scotta
Written by	Laurent Cantet Gilles Marchand
Starring	Jalil Lespert
Cinematography	Matthieu Poirot-Delpech
Edited by	Robin Campillo Stephanie Leger
Distributed by	Haut et Court (France)
Release dates	15 January 2000 (2000-01-15)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	France United Kingdom
Language	French
Budget	€ 1.1 million

Human Resources (French: Ressources humaines) is a 1999 French-British film directed by Laurent Cantet. As the title implies, the subject of the film is the workplace and the personal difficulties that result from conflicts among management and labour, corporations and individuals. It stars Jalil Lespert. Most of the other actors are non-professionals. It won the César Award for Best First Feature Film and the César Award for Most Promising Actor at the 26th César Awards.

Plot

Set in Gaillon, Normandy, the movie tells the story of "good son" Franck (Jalil Lespert), who returns to his hometown to do a trainee managerial internship in the Human Resources department of the factory where his anxious, taciturn father has worked for 30 years. At first Franck is lauded by both friends and family for breaking through the glass ceiling and becoming "white-collar". But very soon hidden envy and rivalries erupt. Franck forms a friendship with Alain, a young worker whom his father has mentored. This mentoring in the blue-collar workforce is contrasted with the cagier, trust-less mentoring Franck receives in the white-collar world from his own supervisor, Chambon.

Franck discovers that his boss is going to use Franck's field study on the proposed 35-hour workweek to justify downsizing - and that Franck's father is among those to be let go. This leads to a confrontation between the trainee and management, between the workers and the owners, and ultimately between son and father. In the emotional climax, Franck confronts his father and accuses him of imbuing him with a legacy of shame at being blue-collar.

Cast

• Jalil Lespert as Franck
• Jean-Claude Vallod as Father
• Chantal Barré as Mother
• Véronique de Pandelaère as Sylvie
• Michel Begnez as Olivier
• Lucien Longueville as The Boss
• Danielle Mélador as Madame Arnoux
• Pascal Sémard as Human Resources Director
• Didier Emile-Woldemard as Alain
• Françoise Boutigny as Betty
• Félix Cantet as Félix
• Marie Cantet as Marie
• Stéphane Tauvel as Christian
• Stéphanie Chevret as The Secretary

Critical response

Human Resources received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 97%, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

External links

• Human Resources at IMDb