FULL TIME

The notion of applying an action film feel to someone going about their daily routine may seem a bit precious, perhaps even contrived, but it is a conceit that Gravel is able to pay off effectively. From a technical standpoint, the construction of the film is very impressive as both Mathilde Van de Moortel’s editing and Irene Dresel’s score (both of whom received Cesar nominations for their efforts) give the film a sense of real tension right from the get-go and sustains it until the end—even the rare moments when Julie can steal a minute for herself are hardly a respite as we can sense how guilty she feels for even those all-too-brief bits of calm.

And while it may sound like a gimmick, anyone who has ever raced to catch the bus to work as it’s about to pull away from the stop or has waited on the platform for a late train will easily recognize Julie’s pulse-pounding feelings.

Gravel’s film, which he also wrote, vividly and authentically portrays Julie’s daily race against the clock as his screenplay follows her for a single week while she becomes more and more desperate, urgently seeking alternative ways of getting to work and to her job interview. The sense of chaos increases when riots break out in the streets and transport workers and others begin to protest against state and city policies. All the while, though, Gravel’s focus remains resolutely fixed on Julie…

… Full Time features a suitably frenetic soundtrack by electronic composer Irène Drésel, which heightens the tension; often racing along at what feels like 120 BPM, it puts your heart in your mouth … Gravel shows how unrelentingly brutal everyday life can be for those who work in a system that insists on taking advantage of them. And yet, in the midst of this dog-eat-dog scenario, Full Time also shows great acts of solidarity from some of the characters as they help each other out, offering assistance, picking up hitchhikers, delivering supplies and so on. Despite its premise, Gravel’s astounding and exhausting film manages to leave you with a modicum of hope for the future - if not for ours then, at least, for Julie’s.

Film Facts

• Eric Gravel won Best Director and Laure Calamy won Best Actress awards at the Venice Film Festival 2021.
• Eric Gravel chose to colour-correct the Paris scenes so that it would look colder, to show that the city is hostile territory for Julie. Similarly, the palace scenes were supposed to show off different colours depending on the hotel rooms, but eventually, the colder colour palette prevailed.