Philippe Le Guay's third feature merits praise for tackling the topic of bullying in the workplace and for espousing those unfashionable virtues - patience and forgiveness. But, while he succeeds in capturing the grim beauty of a small-town factory, he allows his storyline to descend into melodramatics.
The contretemps between newcomer Pierre (Laroche) and Fred (Barbe), a hot-headed troublemaker, opens with simmering intensity. But Pierre's willingness to give Fred the benefit of the doubt becomes unbelievable, especially once his pre-teen son falls under the blaggard's sway.
Laroche's deep-breath dignity is essentially persuasive, but Barbe's vindictiveness is never tethered to a plausible cause, thus rendering his actions unconvincingly random.