Ouistreham: Drama about a writer who works as a cleaner to experience first-hand what it’s like to get by on the minimum wage.
Film plot and background
Drama about a writer who works as a cleaner to experience first-hand what it’s like to get by on the minimum wage.
Marianne (Juliette Binoche) is an acclaimed author who swaps the comforts of her life for her next project. Instead of living in the cultural elite of Paris, she moves to Caen in northern France for the next few months and wants to experience the hard working life of the lower classes first hand as a cleaner. Her goal is to capture the strong personalities of those for whom there is no alternative and still fight their way through.
Once there, as part of the team of twelve workers, she not only has to clean 230 cabins in the ferry port within 90 minutes and put up with stupid comments from the boss, but above all she has to manage on a pittance. At the same time, Marianne is also caught up in the bond of friendship between the local women. Especially with Christèle (Hélène Lambert), Marilou (Léa Carne) and Justine (Emily Madeleine) she forms a friendship that goes far beyond mere superficialities. In the process, however, her real life as a writer, of all things, becomes a problem that could soon put the friendship to the test.
“As in real life” – background, cast, cinema release
Based on the 2010 factual novel “Putze: my life in the dirt” by Florence Aubenas, director and screenwriter Emannuel Carrère (“The Returned”) further developed the material for the screen. With Juliette Binoche (“The Clouds of Sils Maria”) in the leading role, he not only found a figurehead for the film, but also a seasoned actress who sensitively captures the balancing act between drama, tragedy and comedy.
At the 2021 San Sebastián International Film Festival, “As in Real Life” won the Audience Award for Best European Film. The German theatrical release of “Wie im echten Leben” is on 30 June 2022 and is released in Germany from 6 years of age.
