Human Resources
Labor
issues are rarely a subject of motion pictures...and for very good reason. The
workplace is rarely sexy and life in the factory doesn't offer many
opportunities for a scriptwriter to weave a story. But the French director
Laurent Cantent has made a film where the drama of human
relationships manages to overcome the limitations of its settings.
Human Resources, shows the dehumanizing effect of
mechanical labor on the relationship between a father and his son in rural
France. Franck is a young intern who works for the same company in which his
father has toiled for thirty years. In an attempt to ingratiate himself with his
supervisors, Franck sets into motion a series of events that causes rifts in his
family life as well as the livelihood of workers and their union.
Besides great acting, the movies' quality is abetted by
being shot in a real factory, creating an authenticity furthered by its cast of
actual factory employees. In tackling an issue that Hollywood has stayed miles
away from, Cantet has made us aware of the daily drudgery of millions of people
around the world for whom compromise and submission is a way of life.
-Stephen
Leave a comment
We want to hear from you. Feel free to post comments, questions and other thoughts but please remember:
Please see our Comment Guidelines page for more information.