• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Film

Film Review: The Workshop

A decade after winning the Palme d’Or for his film The Class, director Laurent Cantet brings us apolitically engaged look at France’s disenfranchised youth. Set in the coastal town of La Ciotat – the place where the Lumière brothers filmed a moving train and invented cinema – The Workshop centres around a summer writing class. It is led by novelist Olivia (Marina Foïs) who […]

Wyndham Hacket Pain by Wyndham Hacket Pain
2018-11-16 15:03
in Film, Film Reviews
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A decade after winning the Palme d’Or for his film The Class, director Laurent Cantet brings us apolitically engaged look at France’s disenfranchised youth. Set in the coastal town of La Ciotat – the place where the Lumière brothers filmed a moving train and invented cinema – The Workshop centres around a summer writing class. It is led by novelist Olivia (Marina Foïs) who organises discussionsamong the young adults who attend the group. The aim is for the attendees to write a crime novel and Olivia helps them explore what the book will look like. 

Cantet and co-writer Robin Campillo do a good job of letting each character speak for themselves. The dialogue is detailed and specific and at no point feels like it is generalising or dismissing the students concerns. There is something heartening about Cantet’s belief that debate and the exchange of ideas can be a thrilling bedrock for a film.

Much like The Class, there are extended scenes where students discuss their thoughts for the novel and in doing so reveal details about their lives. Antoine (Matthieu Lucci) is the most outspoken and is not afraid to voice his more extreme opinions. He watches racist speakers online who rage about E.U. bureaucrats, globalization, and the increasingly diverse face of French culture. Antoine lacks direction and purpose in his life and his search for meaning has led him down undesirable avenues.

The presence of La Ciotat’s disused docks lingers over the film and casts a shadow over the town. It once shaped the local community and the lives of its inhabitants but now represents the loss of hope and purpose. The workshop acts as a forum where its young attendees can discuss their experiences and begin to envision what their lives could be. Work brings meaning to our lives and gives us a sense of identity, whether we are writers, filmmakers, or dockworkers. It is the void that its absence creates that allows destructive and hateful feelings to grow. The presence of the luxury yachts in the harbour only emphasises how the world has changed and the students have been left behind.

At the same time, the film is open about the difficulties of discussing and representing issues of class and racism. Olivia’s fascination in Antoine is partly derived from fears for his safety but also comes from a desire to understand viewpoints and experiences that she has been sheltered from. Olivia’s position of privilege makes Antoine a person of intrigue that can be used to flesh out her latest novel.

Their interactions raise an important question: can an artist who is sheltered from issues of class and racism truly understand and depict them? Olivia can look for reasons – loneliness, desire for belonging, lack of prospects – why Antoine is attracted to xenophobic groups and ideas but she is unable to understand the experiences and mindset that form them.

Whatever the answer, Cantet does a good job of debating these topics and probably wisely leaves us to come to our own conclusions. The Workshop may not have the same kinetic energy of The Class, but is remains a thoughtful and timely look at France’s overlooked generation.

Content Protection by DMCA.com

RelatedPosts

Final Thoughts on Cannes 2023

Cannes 2023 Film Review: La Chimera

Cannes 2023 Film Review: Last Summer

Cannes 2023 Film Review: Fallen Leaves

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: The Thing About Wrexham’s Cinderella Story

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

More from TLE

Momentum launches funding drive as membership tumbles

The Column – Taylor, Jaden Smith and Snoop Dogg

Boo-ted out? Prime Minister’s allies braced for no confidence vote to be announced

GB News presenter accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over tribute to Queen

‘Serial bully’ and ‘liar’ John Bercow insists he has nothing to apologise for

Baron’s daughter stirs rage after advice for young people wanting a house

Farage responds as Microsoft chief dubs Brexit Britain worse for business than EU

Whitehall ‘furiously trying to manage expectations down’ on Brexit memo – Dodds

Williamson ‘absolutely confident’ of no further delays to school return after latest education U-turn

Lucky Numbers and Horoscopes for today 1 March 2023

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.