Venice Film Festival 2025, Review of A pied d’oeuvre - At Work

A former photographer, Paul Marquet (Bastien Bouillon), divorced with two children, now dedicates himself to writing. But life in Paris is too expensive for him, and to gather what he needs to survive, he alternates between occasional jobs: from handyman assembling furniture to taxi driver. “A pied d’oeuvre”—in competition at the Venice Film Festival—portrays the débâcle of the current welfare system, where work apps replace the entities that should guide one toward employment. The app to which the protagonist subscribes allows him to earn twenty dollars per task, but to ensure he stands out from the competition, he is often forced to lower his compensation.

Moreover, he tries to maintain consistency in his writing. “I only receive 250 dollars a month in royalties,” he says, almost prouder of this figure than of a possible higher income earned through work that doesn’t gratify him. His father (André Marcon) pesters him to find another job, as does his sister. His ex-wife (Virginie Ledoyen) disapproves of him writing about their family and “intimate” affairs in his novels. “What should I write about?” he responds.

The fear that he might end up like a homeless person is real, because Paul must also leave the studio apartment where he lives. It will be the owner of a tobacco shop who restores his will to continue in the profession of writer, leaving him astonished at what life can offer.

Director Valérie Donzelli has adapted the eponymous novel by Franck Courtès, inspired by a true story. She traces Paul’s life lucidly, showing where human possibilities can range if one tries not to be trapped in social constructs. The risks are those that Paul takes, but that each of us might face, if only we thought of approaching a degree of freedom slightly higher than average.