Full Time (2023) Review

A jaw-clenching journey of a single mother’s defiance against the everyday challenges of an unforgiving world. 

The camera pans over soft and gentle as Julie, our working-single-mother protagonist awakens for yet another day. Unbeknownst to us or her the depths of stress that is about to be forced upon her. We follow Julie closely, played by a magnificent Laure Calamy, as she travels to Paris for work as Head Maid in a high end hotel during a week of extreme strike action.  For nearly a full 88 minutes you are inundated with the continuous problems that arise for Julie with her aim being to secure a far better paying job than the one she is at now she is also under so much pressure from debts, strained communication with her ex husband, two children needing constant childcare as well as threats of losing her current job. The high stakes of these unavoidable and ongoing issues are reflected in the fast paced editing of Mathilde Van de Moortel, who was able to exquisitely time so many shots and place them together so well, creating a tornado of intensity specifically in these repeated moments of Julie trying so desperately to find a way home to her children after work. Constantly shifting, we see how she deciphers the next move which in some extreme cases results in hitchhiking and renting a van.   

An important element used in creating the fist-clenching state of cyclical high tension is the use of sound. With electronic production we are thrown into a more alien, unfamiliar world, making us more uncomfortable with each passing beat. On top of this, in moments of disaster we are able to hear a score similar to that of a heartbeat, a pressuring sound we can only acquaint with fear and anxiety as Julie is rejected and fired from the only safety net she had. The score is excellent in surrounding us within Julie’s existence, placing us right where we don’t want to be. 

As a fellow commuter, Full Time caused my blood pressure to rise for far too long. The fear of public transport being a key component in how successful and happy your day is still feels ridiculous. Yet it is captured so viscerally throughout this film. Director Èric Gravel enables us to truly empathise with Julie’s character as we feel each set back hit us again and again. There is something to be said about the universal understanding of a mother trying her hardest, juggling so many different things all the time, sacrificing her own happiness for those she loves. We see her, we love her, we thank her.

However, we are exposed to the uglier side of what Julie has to do in order to get through this week, in order to succeed and create a better life for herself and her children. I pinpoint these moments as great writing. As many people are affected by Julie’s frustration; attacked and forgotten like ricochet shrapnel after she takes the oncoming bullet of stress. And yet, there is understanding, empathy, forgiveness. Due to the balance of these repercussions, we see Julie as a well-rounded, multi-faceted, real character. Gravel does not hide us from the pain she causes and the people she negatively affects, enabling us to feel as if we truly know and connect with her.  As mentioned previously, Laure Calamy gives an outstanding performance as Julie. A raw, understated and extremely heartbreaking performance. A highlight would be a specific scene after Julie’s son suddenly breaks his arm on the trampoline recently purchased for his birthday. Julie is trying to do her makeup in the mirror as tears incessantly fall from her eyes, we see Calamy trying again to hold it together and do yet another day. An absolutely shattering encapsulation of this film and its message, which feels extremely timeless, whether you see your own mother in Julie or yourself or anyone you love. 

I do not intend to spoil how this Full Time turns out for you, but I implore that it is well worth your time to find out how Julie manages the unforgiving situations she is placed in. With all the peak anxiety tension of Uncut Gems, just with far more heart and social relevance in working class urban life. Full Time grabs you and doesn’t let you go. 

Grade: B+