Themes: Labor Unions, Fathers and Sons, Class Differences
Main Cast: Jalil Lespert, Jean-Claude Vallod, Chantel Barre, Veronique de Pandelaere, Michel Begnez
Release Year: 1999
Country: FR
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
In this drama, a young man learns some painful lessons about his family and corporate accountability. Franck (Jalil Lespert) is a recent college graduate who has obtained an internship with a metalworking concern, where his father (Jean-Claude Vallod) has worked as a machinist since leaving school. Franck's job is to aid management and act as a liaison with labor as the plant switches over to a new 35-hour work week. Franck takes his new job seriously -- seriously enough to go out of his way to research the opinions of the workers regarding the firm's new plans. This puts his father in an uncomfortable position: it's obvious that Franck wants to stand up for the rights of the employees, but this isn't sitting well with the boss (Lucien Longueville), and that leaves dad as the man in the middle. Franck then discovers that the company has taken the data he collected and used it in deceptive ways; the result is a corporate edict that will lead to the firing of many long-time employees, including Franck's father. Franck moves from management's to labor's side in this struggle, but at the same time he must tend to the strained relationship between himself and his father. Franck acknowledges his shame about his working-class roots and his inability to understand the pride his father feels about his work. Father, on the other hand, has to confront the fact the company he has selflessly served for most of his adult life is prepared to toss him away for no good reason. Ressources Humaines received its world premiere at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival, where Laurent Cantet received the New Directors Award for best first or second feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Cast
Jalil Lespert - Franck
Jean-Claude Vallod - Father
Chantel Barre - Mother
Veronique de Pandelaere - Sylvie
Michel Begnez - Olivier
Lucien Longueville - The Boss; Danielle Melador - Mme. Arnoux; Pascal Semard; Didier Emile-Woldermard; Francoise Boutigny; Felix Cantet; Stephane Tauvel
Credit
Romain Denis - Art Director, Marie Cesari - Costume Designer, Dominik Moll - First Assistant Director, Emile Louis - First Assistant Director, Rafaele Ravinet-Virbel - First Assistant Director, Laurent Cantet - Director, Robin Campillo - Editor, Barbara Letellier - Executive Producer, Matthieu Poirot-Delpech - Cinematographer, Claire Caroff - Cinematographer, Carole Scotta - Producer, Caroline Benjo - Producer, Antoine Ouvrier - Sound/Sound Designer, Philipe Richard - Sound/Sound Designer, Laurent Cantet - Screenwriter, Gilles Marchand - Screenwriter
Ressources humaines is a 1999 French film (Human Resources) directed by Laurent Cantet. As the name implies, the subject of the film is the workplace and the personal tragedies that result from the conflicts between management and labour, and corporations and individuals. It stars Jalil Lespert. Most of the other actors are non-professionals. It is the winner of numerous international awards, and is one of the featured films at the 2005 Traverse City Film Festival. Subtitled in English, available on DVD.
Plot & Theme
Set in Limoges, 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 23 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 co-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 the field study on the "35-hour work week" that Franck implemented to justify downsizing - and that Franck's father is among those to be let go. This leads to a confrontation between the trainee and the management, between the workers and the owners, and ultimately between son and father. In the emotional climactic scene, Franck confronts his father and accuses him of imbuing him with a legacy of shame at being "blue-collar".
The movie ends with Franck asking Alain (and presumably the viewer) : "What is your place? When are you leaving?" placing a clear social and political value judgement upon individual choice in the developmental crisis of life.
