#MEASURE OF A MAN MOVIE MOVIE#
This is the type of movie you often see at a film festival. Kahn gives Bobby his final pay envelope and you’ll learn more about this wise old man.
#MEASURE OF A MAN MOVIE HOW TO#
We’ve seen coming of age movies many times before, but this one is done ever so gently and subtly that you can easily feel sympathy, and probably empathy, for Bobby as he struggles with how to handle bullies. Kahn (Donald Sutherland), who underpays him, drives him and also offers some interesting advice.ĭuring the course of the summer, Bobby deals with the local bullies, covers for his older sister, copes with his parents’ strained relationship, and grows into a more mature and self-confident young man. Bobby lands a job cutting grass and doing yard work for an eccentric but wise Dr. You may recognize Camp Hoffman and some of the waterfront areas.īlake Cooper plays Bobby Marks, an overweight teen who tells his tale of a summer on a lake in upper New York state, where his one friend leaves for half of the summer, leaving him to find a job to occupy his time and keep him away from the local bullies. The movie is based on a young-adult novel and was filmed in Rhode Island. As Thierry quietly squirms, so does the audience.“Measure of a Man” is a nice little coming of age movie that deals head-on with bullying, teen unpopularity and self-image. “Just pay for it and we’ll leave it there,” Thierry repeats, almost begging him to end this ordeal. Brizé takes his time, allowing feelings of unease and impotence to build, as when a desperate old man is caught with a steak in his coat and told to pay up or face the police. Lindon’s understated delivery finds its perfect match in the film’s probing, handheld camera. This predicament is poignantly conveyed by Lindon’s heart-wrenching performance, which is as restrained as it is moving.The fact that the lead actor blends in seamlessly with the rest of the cast, made up of non-professionals, is a measure of both his talent and Brizé’s supple craftmanship. Its somewhat different English title is perhaps more evocative of the extent to which this cutthroat environment challenges a man’s integrity and self-respect. The movie’s French title, La loi du marché ( The Law of the Market), reflects the notion of a harsh economic system in which one’s success depends on another’s failure. But the management is trying to get rid of staff, and in order to hold on to his job, Thierry must ensure others lose theirs. He’s now the one tasked with monitoring and humiliating others, be they customers or employees. He spends his days walking the aisles and watching CCTV footage from the supermarket’s myriad surveillance cameras. Midway through the film, the narrative fast-tracks to a supermarket where Thierry has landed a job as a security guard. When asked whether they would want to meet him in real life, most answer, “No.”
Fastidiously, they assess-and mostly censure-his attitude, tone, body language, and choice of shirt. In a chillingly comical scene, Thierry’s performance in a mock interview is dissected by other jobseekers at the employment agency. Prospective jobs are always “selective and demanding,” stressing the inadequacy of candidates who don’t make the cut.
In a Skype interview, an employer asks him whether he’s prepared to accept potential demotions and lower pay, only to then rule out Thierry’s chances and criticize his resume. His banker prods him to sell his only possessions in order to avoid bankruptcy, but then urges him to put more money into a life-insurance policy. Thierry is trapped in a system that exploits and misleads him, while constantly putting him down. This impasse is a recurrent theme throughout the movie. La Grande Dolcezza: Cannes Falls for Tales of Love and Loss.With Standing Tall, Cannes Opts for a Low-Glam Kickoff.Date or Die: The Lobster Explores Society's Fixation With Matching Couples.The counselor is neither mean nor particularly unhelpful it’s the system that’s failing Thierry. It was the agency’s idea, but his counselor now tells him it was a waste of time. He’s recently gone through five months of training to be a crane operator. Audiences meet Thierry, played by Vincent Lindon, at his employment agency in an undisclosed location. Like much of his previous work, it’s a candid, searching study of society seen through the eyes of “small folk”-in this case, a 50-something mechanic on the dole.
The Measure of a Man is the first competition entry by the Breton director.