At Work - Herzliya Cinematheque
A French drama film about a photographer who chooses writing and grapples with separation, loneliness, and uncertainty. September 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM at the Herzliya Cinematheque.
Saturday | 19 September | 17:00 | Herzliya Cinematheque
Director: Valérie Donzelli
Cast: Bastien Bouillon, Virginie Ledoyen, André Marcon
(92 min., French; Hebrew and English subtitles)
Paul, a successful photographer in his forties, decides to leave behind an established career in favor of an old dream—writing. At the same time, his wife leaves him, and his children move abroad to live with her. The choice of a new life soon proves to also mean giving up the security of his former one: Paul finds himself making a living from odd physical jobs, coping with financial uncertainty and growing loneliness, while his relationships with his family and friends are put to the test.
French director Valérie Donzelli examines the price exacted by devotion to art and the gap between the romantic image of the artist who chooses freely and the material reality that enables—or fails to enable—that freedom.
The sharp screenplay, written by Donzelli with Gilles Marchand, won them the Best Screenplay Award at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. In the lead role, Bastien Bouillon delivers an impressive and restrained performance.
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