Film: A Plein Temps (Full Time)

Tonight, film again - and I saw A Plein Temps (Full Time), at my local cinema. Certainly looked good, with a pacey trailer, focusing on real-life stresses of a single mother, working in Paris and battling train strikes! Well, we all know something about that, eh.. 

Started late, giving me time to get through some of the mountain of backlog of things I have to do myself. I moseyed off in due course, headed straight to GBK - where they sat me on that bench in the middle. Ugh, I hate sitting there - if anyone sits on the other side, it's like being on a bouncy castle! I ordered straight away, but it was a bit busy - it took them fully 20 minutes to bring my order, by which time I thought they'd forgotten. And when they did, the chef had been a bit inventive with the burger - I've complained before about the chicken escalope being too long for the bun. Well, this time, he'd cut it in half, and squashed the two halves together in the bun - completely unworkable, I had to take out one half and eat it with a knife and fork! which kind of defeated the purpose. Half the chips were cold, and he'd absolutely doused them in whatever they shake on them there - not the most successful of meals.

At the cinema, I had a much nicer wine - they didn't have the chocolate honeycomb bites I'm so fond of, so I settled for chocolate buttons instead, which turned out to be tiny! About 1/3 the size of those you can buy in the shops. I ate about half - but oh, it was so nice to settle back in my comfy, reclining seat, with my nice wine and some chocolate, at the start of a long weekend.. needed that! Could have done with another wine, actually. Also nice to go at my own pace; sometimes, you just don't want to have to work around other people!

Boy, this film is way too realistic. A kind of ticking clock soundtrack heightens the tension of a week in the life of this woman, in a menial job in Paris, trying to juggle interviews for a better one, trying to navigate strikes in a country that seems to do them so much better than the UK! Crikey, if you thought UK trains were bad - in this film, the trains, buses, taxis, and by the looks of it, bin collectors, are all out on strike together! This poor woman literally cannot get out of Paris on one night, and has to leave her children with the hapless old lady whose daughter is already complaining that she's being used.. She has to spend some of her dwindling funds on a hotel, and trek out early next morning to buy a suit for her interview that afternoon. And that's just the start of it..

This isn't another Clockwise - there's a little comedy, but it's all realistic, to the point where I was willing her on, wondering how I could have helped, had I been around. Completely engaging, as she deals with one person after another, giving her grief, and constantly takes phone calls on the run. She gets drenched in the rain, runs along in heels, hitchhikes along the road.. oh, what a relief when it all ends! which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I enjoyed it a lot! It was just almost as exhausting as living it..

Here's to a - hopefully - pretty relaxing long weekend. Tomorrow, back at last with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners! It's been too long.. This walk is Highlights of Westminster. Now, I wonder whether there'll be any coronation-related material..

On Sunday, with CT at The Bedford, for Wicked Wonderland: Burlesque Cabaret.

On Monday - which is yet another bank holiday, but the last for a while - I'm with Discover London for a walk entitled The Great Plague 1665: The Full Story. Certainly makes a change from the Great Fire.. and another group I don't get to see often enough!

On Tuesday, having tried several sold-out shows, I finally plumped for Dixon and Daughters, at the Dorfman. Got the last cheap, restricted-view ticket in the pit..

On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats at last! Well, I couldn't resist a performance of Aspects of Love, with Michael Ball - I've never seen it. Showing at the Lyric - there have been cheap offers, but the best I could find were with the official website. Aisle seat, for the legroom - thanks for the advice, Seatplan!

And yes, film on Thursday - and for now, it's looking like I might finally get to see The Blue Caftan! It wasn't showing this evening - but it is coming up for that evening. It's Moroccan, and again showing at my local cinema. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.