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A film by Valérie Donzelli. Starts December 3rd at the fsk. In French with German subtitles.
[Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]
Abandoned by his wife, who has emigrated to Canada with their two children, Franck gives up his comfortable flat and moves into a basement hovel in the heart of Paris that he can just about afford. Coming from a middle-class background, he is now, in effect, voluntarily experiencing precarious living conditions – which is really just a euphemism for poverty – with all its humiliating and depressing consequences. To free up enough time to write, Franck joins an online community that arranges (mostly) manual odd jobs. Whoever submits the lowest bid gets the job. So, with the help of the ‘gig economy’, he makes his way from job to job – as a furniture mover, gardener or removal assistant – always in the hope that one day, hopefully as soon as possible, he’ll make his breakthrough as a writer.
From this premise – as simple as it is astute – centred on the changing world of work and the increasingly difficult conditions for creative professionals, Donzelli does not craft a classic down-and-out drama, but rather a quiet, gently humorous story about work, dignity, self-exploitation and self-discovery. The screenplay, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival in 2025 – where Bastien Bouillon was also honoured for his leading role – is based on the novel À pied d’oeuvre by Franck Courtès, in which he recounts his personal experiences with the ‘gig economy’ – a true story, then, or at least a story based on true events.
Valérie Donzelli, however, is hardly interested in spectacular twists and turns, but rather in the many small moments in which the artistic idealism of a passionate writer clashes with the drudgery of everyday life. The film explores how the gig economy reflects modern capitalism by, on the one hand, seemingly offering people freedom, whilst on the other demanding self-sacrifice from them in the face of low wages and utterly precarious working conditions; it also examines the constant pressure of competition, which effectively precludes any solidarity amongst workers from the outset.
Bastien Bouillon, who has made a name for himself as a character actor in French cinema for around 15 years and has already delivered outstanding performances in The Count of Monte Cristo and The Night of the 12th, carries the film with impressive ease. His character Franck is a difficult role, but naturally also a very interesting one as a result: Bouillon plays him neither as a hero nor as a martyr, but as a middle-aged man who always seems slightly unsettled, yet possesses a boyish charm, and who clings to his dream even though reason and those around him have long since advised otherwise. Bouillon portrays this inner conflict – which comes across as endearingly stubborn and a little naïve at the same time – with great composure and subtle body language. Precisely because he shows virtually no emotion, which he also largely conceals in his lines, a character emerges with whom you suffer and laugh, whom you understand and whom you want to help. Franck is a man whose setbacks and small successes become as touching as they are relatable.
Valérie Donzelli consistently avoids any form of social kitsch. She describes in great detail – almost too much so – how the ‘gig economy’ works, without passing any clear judgement on it. Rather than condemning the platform economy across the board, she highlights its contradictions: The apparent freedom does indeed create something akin to opportunities, whilst at the same time trapping workers – who are, too, only seemingly self-employed – in a system of permanent insecurity from which they find it difficult to break free.
In contrast to British social dramas in the vein of Ken Loach, Valérie Donzelli focuses less on a clear-sighted social analysis and more on the individual story of an artist who must first be able to afford to practise his art. And he is by no means alone in this. Consequently, the implication may well be that art is now produced only by people who are already rich and/or prominent enough to make their mark through their creativity. The question is: is that what we want?
Gaby Sikorski | programmkino.de
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Credits:Original title: À pied d’oeuvre
France 2025, 92 mins, French with German subtitles
Director: Valérie Donzelli
Screenplay: Valérie Donzelli, Gilles Marchand
Cinematography: Irina Lubtchansky
Editing: Pauline Gaillard
Starring: Bastien Bouillon, André Marcon, Virginie Ledoyen, Adrien Barazzone, Valérie Donzelli
Trailer:
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