Night Shift (DVD)

Night Shift (DVD) ... Shift (aka Trois Huit) shows that bullying doesn't just happen at school, it can affect people in the workplace. Pierre (Gerald Laroche) is the new guy on the night shift. He's a good-natured family man, with a seemingly idyllic life, reflected by the secluded beauty of his home. This is starkly countered by the bleak French industrial setting of the bottle factory where he works. From the very beginning, Pierre is picked on by Fred (Marc Barbe), a boorish amateur boxer, who seems threatened by Pierre's popularity among their fellow workmates. At first, Fred's acts are put down as jovial, though aggressive, behaviour. As these acts grow more violent, both mentally and physically, they begin to affect the way Pierre perceives and is perceived by his wife, Carole (Luce Mouchel) and their 12-year-old son, Victor (Bastien Le Roy). Their increasingly complex relationship makes for compelling watching. Pierre's son begins to see Fred as a stronger father figure, and it's this that forces the normally reserved Pierre to stand up to his bully. The cinematography really helps to frame the action. The characters are shot at close range, capturing both the camaraderie of the fellow workers; while the glowing, molten bottles moving around the factory capture the symbolism of the growing tension between Fred and Pierre. Yann Tiersen's original score, while commendable, does not have the powerful effect on Night Shift that his music for Amelie did. --Yusuf Moosajee On the DVD: Night Shift on DVD includes basic filmographies of the principal leads and the director. In addition, there is the original theatrical trailer, as well as a trailer reel of other World Cinema highlights including Sex and Lucia and The Terrorist.