Full Time (2023) Dir. Éric Gravel

Released without much fanfare in the UK back in May, Full Time is a French drama that sees a single mother facing the growing pressures of the modern world, ones which rapidly increase inside her chaotic life.

The film sees put-upon Julie (Laure Calamy) commuting each day to Paris for her job as head maid at a hotel. Her daily grind is made more complex by her two children’s school schedule but she strives to give them the best possible life and at the same time move away from her thankless job.

With a university degree she feels under-utilised but the constant back-and-forth between her suburban home and the city leaves little time to improve her lot. Overtime, childcare responsibilities and delays caused by nationwide train strikes leave her constantly stressed and frustrated.

First off, Laure Calamy is absolutely fantastic as the exasperated protagonist – constantly facing outside forces beyond her control. But the actress also leaves a little room to explore the pressures she puts on herself – having to maintain the multiple roles of a busy mother and not wanting to let anyone down, but at her own expense.

Yet the multiple occasions of being late for work and the strikes not enabling her to pick up her offspring from a neighbour more than take their toll.

And with the natural film-style providing a tone that is all too relatable, it works alongside a fantastic build-up of tension throughout. Stress has probably not been seen better on screen since Adam Sandler’s anxiety-inducing turn in Uncut Gems.

Director Éric Gravel creates a modern world of hassle and obligation, leading to quite significant worry and even trauma at times. And the audience is brought successfully along for every straining second.

As the responsibilities pile up – including alimony payments to her ex-husband and risks to her job – Julie gets close to breakdown and the film’s editing adds an urgency to the proceedings, flipping excellently between her different roles (mother, wage-earner, provider) across separate locations.

The calm times are few and far between but when they arrive provide a moment of respite for Julie and the viewer. And although she does much for her children, it doesn’t forget to explore Julie’s own wants – a career, a moment of romance and a sense of her own womanhood. Each one is sensitively and innovatively tackled without being forced or a tacked-on afterthought.

Held together by an exceptional lead performance from Laure Calamy, what is mostly a contemplative drama with excellently explored themes, is also structured as a tense thriller. The filmmaking technique is brilliantly unnoticeable but this underappreciated aspect means viewers get drawn into each moment of building pressure without consciously realising – much like in life itself.

As it wraps up, I feel this underappreciated movie deserves to be seen by as big an audience as possible and you should do yourself a big favour and catch Full Time now for its pressure-filled pleasures.

★★★★

4 / 5

Michael Sales

Available to rent on Amazon Prime UK now