I believe I'm the first American to comment on this film, so here's an impression from someone who lives on the other side of the Atlantic.
I just saw this film in the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, so it's starting to make the rounds of the festival circuit over here. It really deserves a general release because it is quite a well-made film, especially for a debut feature. All four leads were great and their dialogue was funny and clever. As a comedy, it is very observant. As a study of the desperation that can set in when you work in a meaningless job, it is spot on.
In retrospect, I realize that some of the plot points could have been cleared up without all that much fuss (e.g. if Sean had called his girlfriend), but this is how real people act. Sometimes they do stupid things or play avoidance games. It's called life. And if other things seemed contrived (e.g. the fact that the two other girls turned out to be best friends), that's why there's this disclaimer at the end that states it is a work of fiction. Personally, I had no problem with going along for the ride, even with the bad '80s station on the radio.
There are times when I find it hard to understand why people get so riled up about things that they dislike. This is one of those times.
I just saw this film in the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, so it's starting to make the rounds of the festival circuit over here. It really deserves a general release because it is quite a well-made film, especially for a debut feature. All four leads were great and their dialogue was funny and clever. As a comedy, it is very observant. As a study of the desperation that can set in when you work in a meaningless job, it is spot on.
In retrospect, I realize that some of the plot points could have been cleared up without all that much fuss (e.g. if Sean had called his girlfriend), but this is how real people act. Sometimes they do stupid things or play avoidance games. It's called life. And if other things seemed contrived (e.g. the fact that the two other girls turned out to be best friends), that's why there's this disclaimer at the end that states it is a work of fiction. Personally, I had no problem with going along for the ride, even with the bad '80s station on the radio.
There are times when I find it hard to understand why people get so riled up about things that they dislike. This is one of those times.