Sunday, October 02, 2011

"Employee of the Month" and Long Unemployment Lines for Monsters: A Short Film Review



Director: Olivier Beguin.

Writers: Olivier Beguin and Colin Vettier.

"Employee of the Month" or "Employe du Mois" is director Olivier Beguin's latest short film which deals with out of work horror personnel. There is the zombie, the mummy, the fairy, the ghost the vampire and Satan himself. Currently on the film festival circuit, including a stop at Stiges, "Employee of the Month" is a French film full of laughs. Unemployment is a serious issue, but here Beguin shows the special needs of several supernatural characters.

The zombie has tried construction, being a butcher and other jobs, but his body parts keep falling off! This makes finding steady work difficult. He finds a job as a crisis support worker, with his grunts and groans helping people to get over grief and other difficult life situations. The brain dead and undead still have a function in life.

The mummy, or the previous King of Egypt, can speak better French; yet, his problems include being unwrapped for a skipping rope or being mistaken as a museum piece. This destroys his credibility, while moonlighting as a stripper seems to offer some rewards e.g. more money. Even this creature finds some use in customer service.

The ghost haunts a local supermarket as a security guard. His advantages are many, as he floats through walls appreheninding thieves. With an insurance company, the ghost is able to scare old age pensioners, who are an insurance liability, to death. None of this work is fulfilling though.

The fairy is a unique case, because she is so diminutive. It is hard to be taken seriously in the working world at one foot tall. Her fairy dust gets some clients high, but her eventual position involves just more debauchery.

Finally, the Devil has a long line of friends including Hitler, Mussolini, and Gaddafi, but he is also out of work. Instead of spreading more evil, the devil must use his special skills of manipulation to find that perfect job.

All of these characters are lampooned in a short thirteen minute film that is defintely worth a viewing. The laughs will come often as Beguin shows a wide range in the sphere of genre, from action ("Dead Bones") to comedy. There are plenty of excellent film elements here. Look out for this one at a film festival near you as the reel is highly recommended.

Overall: 8 out of 10 (lots of different situations and tones).

Find more festival showings at the film's fan page:

Employee of the Month at Facebook

Comparable (Oscar Nominated Short Films:

Short Film Compilation on DVD

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