The Workshop

2018 • 113 minutes

About this movie

From Laurent Cantet, writer-director of the Palme d'Or-winning The Class, and writer Robin Campillo (120 Beats Per Minute) comes The Workshop, a riveting contemporary drama that blends social commentary with a complex study of the modern world. Set in La Ciotat, France, the film centres around Antoine (Matthieu Lucci), a teenager who attends a summer writing workshop. Alongside a group of similarly budding scribes, Antoine is tasked with writing a noirish crime thriller under the tutelage of celebrated novelist Olivia Dejazet (Marina Foïs, Polisse), on the basis that the final piece is connected with the industrial past of their quiet hometown. While the class set about their projects, Olivia is gradually captivated by Antoine's growing indifferent and aggressive behaviour, as well as his anxieties about the modern world. This is reflected in his writing, which becomes more violent and disturbing in its depiction of a mass murderer whose politically radicalist leanings Antoine begins to sympathise with - a provocative streak Olivia is at once alarmed and fascinated by. A competitor for the prestigious Un Certain Regard award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, The Workshop is a timely story depicting the unease of combining fiction with all too identifiable reality.