Laurent Cantet has created an absorbing masterpiece.
Time Out (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:82
Fresh:79
Rotten:3
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: A haunting psychological drama, Time Out takes a penetrating look at the angst of the modern worker.
Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Theatrical Release:Mar 29, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: Vincent (Aurelien Recoing) spends a lot of time in his car. He sleeps in his car sometimes, parked in highway truck stops where buses full of school children pass through during the daytime, and at... Vincent (Aurelien Recoing) spends a lot of time in his car. He sleeps in his car sometimes, parked in highway truck stops where buses full of school children pass through during the daytime, and at night stragglers lost en route stop to drink and tell their stories. Having been fired from his job over a month ago, he is a man running from the truth. Unable to admit his unemployed status to his family, he goes to great lengths to convince his wife and three young children that he spends busy days hard at work. He makes phone calls home talking of meetings and appointments, then returns home complaining of fatigue from being overworked. In fact, he drives around a lot, meanders in and out of office buildings, picks up pieces of information and pages through vague research that does not seem to be part of any cohesive goal or plan. The menacing part of it all is that the closer we get to Vincent, the more he seems to convince himself, and us, that he's telling the truth. And the resulting psychological trickery is positively creepy. This French mystery from director Laurent Cantet (HUMAN RESOURCES) carries an eerie chill that seems inexplicable. While the story seems simple enough, Vincent's lies and the way that he manipulates people--especially his family--are expertly conveyed with cold, steady camerawork and a beguiling performance from Recoing. [More]
Starring: Aurelien Recoing, Karin Viard, Serge Livrozet, Jean-Pierre Mangeot
Starring: Aurelien Recoing, Karin Viard, Serge Livrozet, Jean-Pierre Mangeot, Nicolas Kalsch
Director: Laurent Cantet
Director: Laurent Cantet
Screenwriter: Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet
Producer: Caroline Benjo
Composer: Jocelyn Pook
Studio: ThinkFilm
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Release:
Jan 14, 2003
Reviews for Time Out
It's unnerving to see Recoing's bizzarre reaction to his unemployment. Good film, but very glum.
Time Out plays out slowly, but Vincent's disconnectedness creates odd suspense and black humor.
Full of bland hotels, highways, parking lots, with some glimpses of nature and family warmth, Time Out is a discreet moan of despair about entrapment in the maze of modern life.
The film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the illusion of work is than actual work.
The movie's only mistake is its final scene. After a perfect and ambiguous ending, the director tacks on a final scene in which everything is wrapped up too neatly.
Cantet is a master of drawing out time: His film is slow and careful but has the dramatic inevitability of quicksand.
I found myself growing more and more frustrated and detached as Vincent became more and more abhorrent.
This is unusual, food-for-thought cinema that's as entertaining as it is instructive.
Human Resources was a good, straightforward tale, but Time Out is better. It's haunting. It's like a poem.
Moody, reflective and acutely noticing, Time Out is less a drama than a cinematic essay about one man's experience in an era defined for professional and laborer by downsizing.
Time Out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term.
As bizarre as it is, Vincent's gradual estrangement from society is also easy to identify with, which makes Time Out especially compelling.
It's heartbreaking on a much deeper level, one that makes us question our entire working society.
Reaches an extreme pitch and gets into Vincent's head simply by studying his face.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
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| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
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| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
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