| Time Out | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Laurent Cantet |
| Written by | Robin Campillo Laurent Cantet |
| Produced by | Caroline Benjo |
| Starring | Aurélien Recoing Karin Viard |
| Cinematography | Pierre Milon |
| Edited by | Robin Campillo Stephanie Leger |
| Music by | Jocelyn Pook |
| Distributed by | Haut et Court |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $1.2 million[2] |
Time Out (French:L'Emploi du temps or 'Le Vendu') is a 2001Frenchdrama film directed byLaurent Cantet and starringAurélien Recoing andKarin Viard.[3] The film is loosely based on the life story ofJean-Claude Romand (though without the criminal element), and it focuses on one of Cantet's favorite subjects: a man's relationship with his job. The film received considerable attention internationally and was shown at theVenice Film Festival andToronto International Film Festival. It was one of theindependent films to be featured at theNew York Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Vincent, a middle-aged man fired after spending more than 11 years working for a prestigious consulting firm. Unable to admit to his family that he has been fired, the unemployed former executive continues to pretend he goes to the office daily. In reality, Vincent spends his time aimlessly driving the highways of France and Switzerland, reading newspapers, or sleeping in his car.
As time progresses, Vincent invents more and more elaborate lies, throwing himself into a vicious spiral of deceit. To sustain hisbourgeois lifestyle, Vincent sets up aPonzi scheme and is eventually enlisted intosmuggling by career thief Jean-Michel. Murielle, Vincent's wife, after discovering her husband's "life of lies" attempts to bring him back into the realm of reality.
Time Out received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 96%, based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The consensus reads, "A haunting psychological drama,Time Out takes a penetrating look at the angst of the modern worker."[4] AtMetacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 88, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]
The film was placed at 99 onSlant Magazinesbest films of the 2000s,[6] number 9 ofThe Guardian's best films of the noughties,[7] and number 11 atThe A.V. Club's top 50 films of the 2000s.[8]
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | 2nd place | |
| European Film Awards | Best Screenwriter | Laurent Cantet andRobin Campillo | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best International Film | Nominated | |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | 3rd place | |
| Best Actor | Aurélien Recoing | 3rd place | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Runner-up | |
| Venice International Film Festival | Don Quixote Award | Won | |
| Vienna International Film Festival | FIPRESCI Prize | Won |