Synopsis
In modern-day Normandy, business studies graduate Frank starts work experi-I ence in the office of the factory where his father has worked all his life on the shop floor. Befriended by management, he is shocked by both his father's submissive attitude and by the combative stance of the Communist-backed CGT union. His brief is to study the introduction of the government's 35-hour week scheme. But, when he receives a confidential letter from management revealing that 12 workers, including his father, are to be fired, Frank switches his allegiance to the workers and helps them prepare to strike.Marked by a concern for social issues and notable for its pared-down naturalisup tic scenes, Human Resources' tale of industrial strife is reminiscent of the socially-aware agendas of the Young French Cinema. Director Laurent Cantet's style of filming relates back to the post-May 1968 documentaries, such as Marin Karmitz's Coop pour coup, and also to the films of Ken Loach. Utilising real locations, a non-professional cast (apart from Jalil Lespert as Frank, all the actors are in life what they portray on screen) and relying on mainly improvised dialogue, Cantet creates a classically structured cinematic examination of the generational conflict between Frank and his father and the wider controversial issue of the 35-hour week.
