Zero Fucks Given (2021, dir. Emanuelle Marre & Julie Lecoustre)

Zero Fucks Given (original title Rien à Foutre), written and directed by Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre, follows 26 year old flight attendant, Cassandre played by Adèle Exarchopolous, previously a Palme d’Or winner for Blue is the Warmest Colour.

Cassandre works for a fictional low-budget airline whose structures and processes are stifling. The film opens with a conversation about commission between three flight attendants and their manager, and the claustrophobic, high-pressure environment capitalist environment of the airline remains throughout the first half of the film. Its roots are grounded in social realism as we follow Cassandre through the everyday toils of her line of work. It is a snapshot of a life in the 21st century global economy, its scathing critique of labour conditions in a monolithic capitalist organisation bringing to mind Stéphane Brizé’s The Measure of a Man (original title La Loi du Marché) and Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You.

As the film progresses we start to understand Cassandre’s character more deeply. The cinematography’s handmade feel, with the camera moving jerkily between characters as they converse, gives a voyeuristic sense that we are in the room with Cassandre, adding to the intimacy of the film. As we begin to understand more about Cassandre’s motivations and personal life, we come to realise that she is a lost 20-something, recently touched by tragedy, trying to find her place in the world. The second half of the film follows Cassandre at home, but lacks the emotional punch needed to elevate the film. The film’s ambiguous ending hints that maybe she has found what she wants, but not what she needs. While Cassandre is an engrossing character adeptly played by Exarchopolous, there is a sense that this film works better as a social critique than as a character study.