KARACHI, May 16: An emotionally-charged, slow-paced French film, Ressources Humaines (Human Resources), dealing with the struggle between labour unions and management and the human cost of this tussle, was screened at the Goethe-Institut on Wednesday.

Part of the Windows on Europe film festival, which is scheduled to end on Thursday, the 100-minute film, directed by Laurent Cantet and released in 1999, is a powerful cinematic work which explores a weighty subject with remarkable agility.

Franck (Jalil Lespert), the son of a provincial factory worker, comes home for summer during a break from business school in Paris. His father, who works on the shop floor doing a nondescript job on a welding machine, arranges for an internship for Franck at his firm, and before long the boss takes a liking to the sharp young man.

But things soon turn hairy as management wants to introduce the 35-hour workweek in the factory (this actually happened in France in 2000). Union reps feel this is a ruse to lay off more workers, and Franck finds himself caught between pleasing his conscience and his boss. His relationship with his father also becomes strained, as Franck begins to see the ugly side of the corporate veneer.

Ressources Humaines’ winning formula is its mix of social commentary, tight script and brilliant performances, considering the director cast mostly non-professional actors. Its ending is simply thought-provoking and very unconventional.

Italian film Cinema Paradiso was also screened.—QAM