Work Hard, Play Hard

A pity, in a way, that Moutout's film courts comparison with Cantet's Human Resources, because this cautionary fable about a basically decent young man (Rénier, who was the boy in the Dardennes' La Promesse), lured into ruthless ways by a hotshot at the management consultancy firm he's begun working for, is in many regards a rather fine piece of work. It's beautifully played, written and directed with a real feel for telling details, and blessed with a very strong sense of place. Sentimentality and sermonising are wisely held at bay.