The Measure of a Man

Thierry is fifty-one and has been out of work since his factory closed. The film follows him through a series of encounters: with a job centre official, on a retraining course, with a bank manager, in an interview, then in a video assessment. In the end he finds work as a security guard in a supermarket. The subject is not unemployment but the job itself. Thierry's task is to catch shoplifting customers and staff with till shortfalls, which means he makes his living by catching poor people. The real question is when he will stop. The form is extremely plain: fixed camera, long scenes, no music. The encounters run close to real time with few cuts. Vincent Lindon is the only professional actor in the film; every other role is played by someone who actually does that job, so the bank manager is a bank manager and the supermarket staff are supermarket staff. Stéphane Brizé chose the method to avoid breaking the rhythm of the scenes. Lindon won best actor at Cannes in 2015 for the role, and a César. Who it is for: viewers who like French social realism and films built on work. Who it is not for: anyone wanting narrative; the film proceeds in episodes and has almost no plot.