Discount

Not exactly what Americans think about when they hear "France", not the superficial glamour of Paris nor the cosy picturesque of the Riviera, but the real France. The people of France in their day to day struggles in badly paid jobs and incertainty facing modernisation and robotisation. Everyone who is about to visit France should watch this first. Then one would understand the French better. (Except Parisians, who are overall shallow and spoiled).

This being said, the film is a jewel. Out of the initial marasm unfolds itself a surprisingly entertaining plot. Acting is supreme. Every one of them actors, every second of the movie: truer than true. I loved it.

The struggles and rebellion of the employees of a highly efficiency-oriented supermarket. When faced with an imminent "technical restructuring" of their working place that will leave most of them jobless, a group of employees decides to delve into illegal actions to milk the supermarket for all it's worth. They don't know yet that they'll start a little social revolution.

This movie feels real, looks real, sounds real. The brutality of poverty, the "everyday" kind of desperation, the resentful solidarity of those who are being f*cked over the same way. But also friendship, and warmth, and the deep generosity of misery. This movie is deep, and hurts, all the main characters have been broken and hurt in some way, and their gleeful joy of "sticking it to them" stands out all the more through it. But this movie doesn't indulge in angst, or manicheism. It's not a "social fairy tale". It shows the pettiness and the heroism of the little people, the gray outskirts of modern French society, the consequences of unforgiving meritocracy, all those unglamorous things one likes to ignore. It's harsh, and executed brilliantly.

The actors are outstanding, the dialogues so genuine my jaw dropped, the cinematography brilliant. Every character is fleshed out, the supporting cast is all kind of perfect. I clapped at my TV when the movie ended.

Typically the sort of movie I would have loved to love but that I ended up finding only middling. Neither absolute junk nor the masterpiece it could have been, 'Discount', Louis-Julien Petit's first feature, can be considered a relative disappointment probably for promising too much for what little it had in store. Advertized indeed as a social comedy (one of my favorite genres), this tale of marginalized people joining forces to fight the big bad ultra-liberal ogre immediately conjured up in me images of such British delights as 'Raining Stones', 'Brassed Off', 'The Full Monty', 'Made in Dagenheim', et al.) - the kind of intelligent entertainments (no, the two terms are not oxymoronic!) where social commentary goes in hand with great laughs. Unfortunately, the exhilaration expected was not in the cards, although I liked the subject and found the acting tolerably good. What then accounted for the impression of dissatisfaction I was under on leaving the theater? The answer came to me upon reflection: I had simply asked a bit much to what was nothing but a modest effort and which did not look further than that. This is a first film after all and as such its shortcomings are understandable. Petit still has time ahead to make progress and father more accomplished works in the future. His following work, for one, 'Carole Matthieu', a taut social drama, is an interesting prolongation of 'Discount', in a serious mode this time. As I said, the plot of 'Discount' is not at play in my (relative) disappointment. On the contrary, its premise is perfect : in a hard discount store whose management focuses on profitability at any cost, Gilles, Christiane, Alfred, Emma, Momo and Hervé are declared redundant and will soon be replaced by automatic pay stations. After a period of doubt and depression, they decide not to accept the situation passively and under Gilles' guidance soon organize resistance by opening a solidarity grocery selling... goods 'borrowed' from the store they still work in! By stealing those who have robbed them of their jobs, thereby of their resources and dignity, and by redistributing the products among the needy, they become a kind of Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and modernity oblige, women!). A wonderful premise which could have generated torrents of laughs and tears, all mixed together, like in a Capra, a Frears or a Loach gem. The trouble is that, if the satire is biting enough, the comedy lacks hilarity while the drama is scant in emotional punch. As a Whole 'Discount' lacks life , rhythm and relief, its weak dialogues fail to hook the viewer, who is not involved enough and accordingly responds only mildly to potentially strong stimuli. As for the actors (Corinne Masiero, Pascal Demolon and Zabou Breitman in the lead) they are good enough, but never shine particularly because of the lackluster text they have to deliver. Quite imperfect as far as its form is concerned, 'Discount' is nevertheless a film worth watching for substance particularly when it comes to its right presentation of the labor relations in today's France. Moreover, not everybody shares my reservations on the film. So, do not shy away from it, you may be part of these happy viewers.