Sauf le respect que je vous dois (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Fabienne Godet

Writers:

Fabienne Godet (writer)
Juliette Sales (co-writer)

Release Date:

15 February 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

François Durrieux, a man in his forties, married to Clémence and father of Benjamin, has been employed for years by the firm DSBO...

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Olivier Gourmet	...	François Durrieux
Dominique Blanc	...	Clémence Durrieux
Julie Depardieu	...	Flora
Marion Cotillard	...	Lisa
Jeffrey Barbeau	...	Benjamin Durrieux
Jean-Michel Portal	...	Simon Lacaze
Jean-Marie Winling	...	Bruner
Pascal Elso	...	Marc
François Levantal	...	Jean
Guy Lecluyse	...	Grégory
Martine Chevallier	...	Julie
Hans Meyer	...	Lunel
Marie Piton	...	Agnès
Yvan Garouel	...	Autre collègue
Blandine Lenoir	...	Marie

Also Known As:

Burnt Out (UK) (informal title)

Runtime:

France:90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Gare des Batignolles, Rue Cardinet, Paris 17, Paris, France

Company:

Le Bureau

Trivia:

Fabienne Godet and Franck Vassal took their inspiration from their personal professional experience.

Quotes:

Inspecteur parisien: I don't understand, Lisa. You're intelligent though...
Lisa: That's why!
Inspecteur parisien: That's why what?
Lisa: That's why you don't understand!

No-nonsense social commentary

"Sauf le respect que je vous dois" starts like one of those recent socially-committed French movies ( such as "Ressources humaines", "Marie-Line", "Violence des échanges en milieu tempéré", "Le couperet" ...) that courageously examine the deterioration of today's working conditions and industrial relations.

Indeed, in a firm named DSBO and located in the West of France (but exemplifying a lot of others worldwide), you have no other choice but work hard, all too often after office hours, give up holidays, neglect your family or else ...

One of the employees, Simon Lacaze(Jean-Michel Portal), a reluctant, hypersensitive young man,bridles up, fighting desperately for a minimum of free time to be spent with his wife and friends, among whom François Durrieux (Olivier Gourmet). To no avail, as he ends up being fired by his boss (deceptively pleasant Jean-Marie Winling). And ignominiously so... Simon chooses to commit suicide in his office the very night a party is being given by his self-satisfied employer.

At this stage of the story, director Fabienne Godet and co-writer Franck Vassal could opt for a militant, feel good tone, having the characters gradually become aware of the situation they are in, go on strike to protest against the unfair treatment they are given and win their case. But the authors are not the optimistic kind and although they do believe that unity makes strength they know that unity is not easily achieved. Instead, they choose to describe François' righteous but lonely rebellion against the system. Too tortured, too awkward, too violent to involve his colleagues in an organized movement, he starts drifting alone, going round in circles, on a winding road leading nowhere.

The tone is bitter, mirroring the current situation in many a company today, not indulging in false hopes. Godet, whose first feature film this is, proves an able director. A first-rate cast helps: Gourmet, Blanc, Portal, Cotillard, Depardieu and young Jeffrey Barbeau give intense performances and make the film genuinely poignant and never goody-goody. A no-nonsense work that deserves to be seen.