Workers Germany, Mexico 2013 – 120min.

Movie Rating

Workers

Valérie Lobsiger
Movie Rating: Valérie Lobsiger

In Mexico, a man and woman each take revenge on their boss.

In Tijuana, Rafael buys himself a new pair of shoes and gets his hair cut in preparation for his impending retirement. A model employee at a light bulb factory, he is refused a pension when his boss claims he never filled out the right paperwork to legalize his immigration status (Rafael comes from El Salvador). So he picks up his mop and broom again to clean the toilets for another 10 years. Meanwhile, in a magnificent villa, Lidia serves with devotion an old rich woman, the mother of a drug boss, who’s infatuated with her greyhound. Every day, the dog gets 250 g of prime beef, a bath, a massage, a walk in the Mercedes, etc. When the old lady finally dies, she leaves her money to... the dog. Her personnel will only inherit once the mutt dies of natural causes. Insulted, the servants each resist in their own way.

Debut feature by José Luis Valle, born in El Salvador and a naturalized Mexican citizen, who makes every effort to describe – with precise touches and a nice pinch of humor – the experiences of the lowliest workers in society, whose work is monotonous and denigrating. Valle attentively films scenes of their daily life, placing the audience into a reality where, at first glance, nothing happens. One needs to take one’s time with this great film, which is more subversive than it seems.

31.12.2020

5

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