An original idea for a strong message: The alienation of men. The choice to replace objects with humans perfectly expresses the sense of resignation of people whose entire lives are consumed by work.
The expressionless characters, the slow visual rhythm, the desaturated colors and the monotonous atmosphere accentuate the fatalism of the film. A little message of hope at the end: The Lamp Man becomes aware of his condition and refuses to work.
The short film can also help explain the principles of satire to children, mocking critique and the exaggeration of a real situation in service of a message.
The short film “The employment” was selected at the Takorama 2020 festival organized by the Films pour enfants association.
Questions about the film
Understand the story and themes, express your feelings and develop critical thinking.
1What roles (or jobs) do the men play in the film? Men play the role of objects. In chronological order, a lamp (1 min 3 s), a mirror (1 min 23 s), a table, a chair and a ceiling light (1 min 40 s), a coat rack (2 min 10 s) and a key ring (2 min 15 s), a taxi (2 min 35 s), traffic lights (2 min 40 s), a sliding door (3 min), an elevator counterweight (3 min 20 s), a luggage locker (4min 2 s), a doormat (4min 55 s).
2What's surprising about the ending of the film? The main character of the film, who was thought to be more important than the other men because everyone was in his service, in fact plays the role of a doormat. He is therefore himself at the service of others and his job is even less pleasant than that of others.
3Do you think the film's ending is optimistic? Yes, it is a message of hope: the Lampe man becomes aware of his condition and refuses to work. Perhaps this is the start of a change.
Download the film's educational activities as a PDF
Created with the support of the French Ministry of Education and the French National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC).
Watching the film with the family, educational activities with parents at home and with teachers in class.
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