The Reel Review
A financially strapped, divorced mother of two living in the Paris suburbs and working as a housekeeper at a high-end hotel in the heart of the city finds herself frenetically racing against the clock in this tense drama as she tries to manage motherhood and her current job while landing a much needed, better-paying marketing job during a city-wide transit strike.
Anyone who has had to juggle the stress of trying to find a new job while working at a current one that affords them almost no spare time will appreciate the pulse pounding realism of Full Time. Writer/director Eric Gravel uses quick edits and a frenetic score to heighten the tension, as an excellent Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!) channels the near constant chaos of parenting two young children, convincing her ex-husband to pay child support, dodging bill collectors, planning her daughter’s birthday party, finding daycare, working at the high-end, high stress hotel and convincing co-workers to cover for her while she slips away for interviews – all while finding creative ways to get to where she’s going during the transit strike. It’s a lot.
The high tension of Full Time will be a deterrent for some viewers looking for a more laid back entertainment experience, but for those who can appreciate its story, the realism and escalating sense of panic will hit home hard, culminating in an impactful finale as we discover what the future holds for her.
REEL FACTS
• Writer/director Eric Gravel based his screenplay on the 1995 Paris transit strike.
• Full Time was nominated for four 2023 César awards, including for Best Actress (Laure Calamy) and Best Original Screenplay, winning two – for Best Editing and Best Music.
• Born in Orleans, France to a psychologist and a doctor, Laure Calamy won the César Award for her role in the 2020 romantic comedy My Donkey, My Lover & I.
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