A NICOLAS SILHOL FILM

Starring

Céline Lambert Stéphane Violaine SALLETTE WILSON DE GROODT FUMEAU

Runtime:1:35–France–2016–1.85–Dolby5.1

FRENCH RELEASE DATE: APRIL 5TH

INTERNATIONALSALESIndieSalesCompany

Sales–NicolasEschbach(neschbach@indiesales.eu),ClémentineHugot(chugot@indiesales.eu)

&SimonGabriele(sgabriele@indiesales.eu)

Festivals&Sales–MartinGondre(mgondre@indiesales.eu)

SYNOPSIS

EmilieisabrightyoungworkaholicmanagerinHumanRessources,workingforahugeFrench

agro-foodcompany.Ambitiousanddedicatedtoherjob,sheisagoodsoldier,readytoput

ruthlessmethodsofmanagementintopracticetomeetthehigher-ups'requirements.

But,oneday,oneoftheemployeescommitssuicideatthecompanyinfrontofher.Afflictedby

theterrificdeathofhercolleague,shewilleventuallyrealizethatthecompanyhastotakeits

responsibilitytoo.

While an investigation in underway, stuck between her traumatized colleagues and under

pressureofapowerfulhierarchy,shewillhavetogetbyonherown.

INTERVIEWWITHNICOLASSILHOL

WheredidyougettheideaforCORPORATE?

I’vealwaysbeeninterestedinhumanrelationshipsinthecorporateworld.That’snotreallyan

accident, becausemy father teachesmanagement at a business school and works as an HR

consultant. I’ve spent longhours talking about these issueswithhim.My first short filmwas

alreadyaboutarole-playingexerciseatafuneralhome.Itwasmoreofacomedyanditportrayed

thecompanyasatheaterwhereeachindividualplaysaroleandsetsasidehisorherpersonal

feelings.

Then, like many of us, I was deeply shocked by the spate of suicides at France Télécom. I

discovered that “management through terror” can truly destroy lives and individuals. The

cynicismofFranceTelecom’sCEO,whosaiditwastimetoend“thesuicidecraze,”particularly

shockedme.Asifemployeeswereresponsiblefortheirownsuffering.

CORPORATEisn’tlimitedtoitssubject,itdealswithalargerissue:personalresponsibility.

Yes,fromthebeginning,whatreallyinterestedmewastheissueofresponsibility.Shouldthose

whodothedirtyworkbeheldresponsible?Shouldtheybeblamedforthedeathofanemployee

they were trying to break? The complexity of these legal and ethical questions was what

motivatedmetowritethefilm.

ThecharacterofEmiliewasbasedoninterviewswitharealHRmanager.Aftertellingmehowshe

hadverydeliberatelypressuredemployeestoleavethecompany,shesaidpointblank:“Iwon’t

beapartytothisanymore.”Tomeitwasaverycompellingandbravethingtosay. Itwasan

affirmationshewasbreakingwiththesystem.Ithinkthiskindofindividualpositioncanreally

shakethingsup,becauseinadditiontoliberatingyourself,youliberateeveryoneelse, ithasa

snowballeffect.AndIthinkthatgoesfarbeyondthecompany.

Butatfirst,Emiliebucksthesystemoutofpersonalinterest…

Thefirststepshetakestowardthelaborinspectorisaclearattempttosaveherownskin.Emilie

isproactive,andwhensheseesthesituationturningagainsther,shetakesthingsintoherown

handsandtriestonegotiatethetruthwiththeInspector.ThelastthingIwantedwastotellthe

storyofabadpersonwhoisrackedbyguiltandseeksredemption,orsuddenlyseestheevilof

herwaysandchangessides.Ididn’twanttheretobeclearlydefinedgoodguysandbadguys.In

CORPORATE,theissueismoreanethicalthanamoralone.Idon’twanttojudgeanyone.

What’sinterestingdramaticallyisthat,toturnonthecompany,Emilieendsuphavingtoturnon

herself.Attheendoftheinvestigation,theonlyproofshehasagainstthesystemisthisvideo

thatweighsonher.

Thefilmalsotellsthestoryofanemancipation…

At first, Emilie is indistinguishable fromher function and her uniform.As a human resources

manager, her job is to manage. She embodies the values of her company. Hence the title:

CORPORATE.Butbecauseofthepressurethecompanyputsonher,shegraduallyletsgo.Cracks

starttoshowinhermask.Shestartstoreconnectwithherownemotions,herbody,herfeelings.

Byacceptingresponsibility,shereconcileswithherself.I’vealwaysbeenfascinatedbycharacters

imprisoned by their functions, who struggle with their own role. I had already explored this

dialecticofprideandself-hatredinashortfilm,throughthecharacterofalow-browcomedian

chasedbyabloggerwhoendsupexposinghimselftoher.

Here,thecharacterisfemale…

Mysense is thatwomendoabetter jobat soul-searching thanmen,so I trust themmore to

change.Inanycase,Iwasinterestedinexploringwomen’sroleinthecorporateworld,andthe

waybodiesinteracttoo.Emiliehastriedtofitintowhatisstillamale-dominatedworldbyplaying

theroleexpectedofher,thatofthesexyandvirilefemaleexec.

Didyouresearcharealcompanywhenwritingthescript?

Theissuesareaboveallethicalandlegal,andhavelesstodowiththedailyoperationsofthe

company.MostlyI interviewedlaborinspectors.ItwasthroughtheireyesthatIdiscoveredall

thesemanagementtools–thestagesofmourning,forcedtransfers,behavioralevaluations.How

canyouproveacausallinkbetweenanemployee’ssuicideandhisorherworkingconditions?

Theyhavetodealwithverycomplexissues.Whatqualifiesasproof?Howcanmanagementmake

itdisappear?Ialsowantedtodojusticetothisprofession,whichgetsabadrapeventhoughtheir

workisnecessaryandfascinating.

I gota lotofenjoyment fromcreating thecharacterof the Inspector,MarieBorrel. She isan

outsidersetloosewithinthecompany.Likeabullinachinashoporagustofwindthatslams

doorsshut.Shegoeswherevershewants,sayswhatevershewants.Shepretendstobenaive,

she makes people uncomfortable… My co-writer Nicolas Fleureau and I often thought of

Colombo!

TalkaboutthemirroreffectbetweenherandEmilie…

First,Ithoughtoftheirrelationshiplikeaduel,aface-off,whichaccentuatestheirdifferences:the

HRDirectorvs.theInspector.Atfirstglance,thesearetwodiametricallyopposedwomen:Emilie

has a very controlled and sophisticated femininity,whereasMarie is spontaneous, generous,

provocative.Shehasalsomadehermarkinamaleworld,butinamuchfreerway.Still,beyond

theirdifferentuniformsandfunctions,Iwasinterestedintheirsimilaritiesandhowtheymanage

to forma team.Theyare the sameage,have similarpersonalities. They couldeasilybecome

friendsandgooutfordrinks.Thatdoesn’thappen,butthereisaconnectionbetweenthem.Each

recognizesherselfintheother.

Howdidyouapproachthevisualstyle?

IworkedcloselywithmyDP,NicolasGaurin.Inthecompany’soffices,wewantedtodissectthe

characterswith tight frames, toconfine themtopartitioned,glass spaces.Theyare restricted

metaphorically and figuratively.Wealsowanted to shiftpointsof view, to feel theweightof

everyone’seyesonEmilie,notablyinthefirstpart,whichissteepedinparanoiaandtension.For

the exteriors, which have more energy and life, we used handheld shots to create a more

naturalisticstyle.Wewantedthisoutsideworldtomakeitswayintothecompanythroughthe

characterofMarieBorrel.AsEmiliechanges,sodoesthefilmmakingstyle.Itbecomeslivelier,

moredynamic,Emiliebreaksoutoftheframe.Thefilmalsotakesabreakfromitselfwithvideo

andaudio footage. I loveusingothermedia tocreateakindof film-within-the-film,which I’d

alreadydoneinmyshorts.Thisraw,hyper-realisticfootageisliketheultimateproofofthetruth

behindthecharacters.

Whataboutthemusic?

Themusicisusedintwoways.Insidethecompany,fordramaticunderscoringtocreatetension

aroundtheinvestigation.Andoutsidethecompany,themusicisfreer,closertoAlexndreSaada’s

jazzyinspiration.It’sgentlertoo.

Emilie’shusbandisEnglish.

I seequitea fewbinational couplesaroundmeand thepossibilities intriguedme. It givesan

internationalscopetoEmilie’scharacterandbringsanothermentalitytobearontheworldof

work. Emilie’s husband isn’t particularly disturbed by events: “Shit happens,” he says. His

pragmatismandindividualismareveryBritish.

Andanyway, I like thatEmilie speaksEnglishathome.Herotherness isalsoembodied inher

relationshiptolanguageandwords.

WhatwereyougoingforwiththecharacteroftheHRDirector,playedbyLambertWilson?

I didn’t want him to be a stereotypical jerk. It’s the position he takes, that of evading all

responsibility,that’sshocking.Heisthecharacterwhomostforcefullyembodiesdenial.Lambert

has elegance and charisma, and at the same time he is likable to audiences because of his

sincerity.It’samixtureofsophisticationandhumanity.Plus,hisvoiceisamusicalinstrument.

WhydidyoucastCélineSalletteintheroleofEmilie?

Iimmediatelythoughtofherfromtheearliestversionsofthescript.Sheimpressedmeinallthe

rolesI’dseenherin.It’saboveallhereyesthattouchme.Theyexudeacombinationofsadness

andpower,apowerfulsadness!Ialsolikedthechallengeofnotchoosingsomebodyobviousfor

therole.Emilieisacoldwomanwhoiscutofffromheremotions.Shedoesn’treallyfittheprofile

of Céline, who is a very expressive actress and woman, very free, very empathetic. It was

stimulatingforthebothofustobuildacharacterwhowasverydifferentfromher.Mysensewas

theperformancewouldbemorepowerfulifCélinekeptheremotionsbottledup,andweonly

sawtheminhereyes.

AndwhydidyouchooseViolaineFumeautoplayMarie?

UnlikefortheroleofEmilie,Iwantedalessidentifiableactressforthispart,onewhocouldbe

believableinherjobandtiedtotherealworld.IhadalreadyworkedwithViolaineonmyshort

films.ThepartoftheLaborInspectorwasperfectforher.Shebringsmodernityandlifetothe

role:indignation,freedom,sensuality.ShespenttimewithreallaborinspectorsandIthinkshe

forgedaverypersonalconnectionwiththeirstruggle.ThoughCélineseemedquitedifferentfrom

thecharacter,ViolainewasperfectlycastastheInspector!

WhataboutStéphaneDeGroodt?

HehasanotherviewofEmilie,onethatissofterandkinderandshefindsthathardtobear.We

immediatelygrasphishumanness,heissweetbutawomanizer.MeanwhileIsawCharlyAnson,

whoplaysEmilie’shusband,inDowntownAbbey.Heisatthesametimesubtleandplayful.Very

British.Actually,CORPORATEbringstogetheractorsfromverydifferenthorizons.Thisvarietywas

importanttome.

Thefilmisprettyoptimistic.

Emilieisn’toutofthewoods,shedoesn’tgetvindicated,butshe’smadeastrongchoicewhichI

wantedtoapplaud.Herpathiscircuitous,complicated,butIwantedtosetapositiveexample.

Tome,she’sarealheroine.

FILMOGRAPHY–NICOLASSILHOL

2008TOUSLESENFANTSS’APPELLENTDOMINIQUE(20’)

ShortlistedfortheOscars2010,PrixFranceTélévisionl’Express2009,GrandPrixauFestivalde

Toronto2009.Thefilmwasalsoselectedatcloseto20internationalfestivals.

https://vimeo.com/52555161-Mdp:psychologique

2010L’AMOURPROPRE(35’)

SelectedatCannes’Critic’sWeekin2010,theshortwontheLutin2011forBestActorinastarring

role for XavierGallais. Itwas also selected at the Festival International du FilmdeClermont-

Ferrand2011,FestivaldufilmdeVendôme2010,FestivalduFilmcourtdeVilleurbanne(Prizefor

BestScript)in2010.

https://vimeo.com/52155860-Mdp:daniel

CASTEmilieTESSON-HANSENCélineSALLETTEStéphaneFRONCARTLambertWILSONVincentStéphaneDEGROODTMarieBORRELViolaineFUMEAUSophieAliceDELENCQUESAING

CREWDirectorNicolasSILHOLWritersNicolasSILHOLNicolasFLEUREAUCinematographyNicolasGAURINEditingFlorenceBRESSON

ProductionDesignSidneyDUBOISCastingTatianaVIALLESoundAntoineCORBINJulienROIGEmmanuelCROSETOriginalMusicMikeetFabienKOURTZERAlexandreSAADAProducerJean-ChristopheREYMONDKAZAKPRODUCTIONSAssociateProducerAmauryOVISEKAZAKPRODUCTIONSCo-ProducerAUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPESCINÉMAFrenchDistributionDIAPHANADISTRIBUTIONInternationalSalesINDIESALESAKazakProductionsandAuvergne-Rhône-AlpesCinémacoproduction,withtheparticipationofCanal+,Ciné+andtheRégionAuvergne-Rhône-AlpesinpartnershipwiththeCNC,inassociationwithManon 6, Cinémage 10, Cofinova 12, with support from PROCIREPand ANGOA, scriptdevelopedwithsupportfromtheCNC,Cinémage6Développement,Ciclic-RégionCentre-Val-de-Loire