Imagine a model employee working on a regular morning at a cleaning company. She feeds her newly bought fish after opening the office, takes note of the office supplies she needs to reorder, and placates early-morning irate customers over the phone. All this she does without complaints, however undertone they might be. A few minutes later, her male coworkers arrive; they tell her to make them coffee and do other menial tasks they could’ve done themselves. The model employee goes ahead, any signs of protest quelled before becoming apparent. To some, she should be employee of the month; heck, she deserves the distinction as employee of the year.
The employee, however, just wants her first salary increase in 17 years to make up for all the multitasking she does every day. Never mind the disparaging sexist remarks she receives on the daily; compensation would suffice.
So when a freak accident in the office results to a coworker’s death—at the same time her colleagues finally got on her last nerve—she has had enough. Years of working for a cleaning company has taught her, if anything, something very valuable:
Clean the mess up.
Of Shortchanged Dedication and Commitment
Directed by Veronique Jadin on a screenplay she co-wrote with Nina Vanspranghe; “Employee of the Month” (French: L’employée du mois) introduces the audiences to Ines (Jasmina Douieb), a seemingly model employee at EcoCleanPro, a company that sells cleaning products. Whereas Ines could’ve been the employee any company covets, EcoCleanPro doesn’t operate like a proper one. Trudging on with a business mentality still borrowed from archaic misogynistic approach, the company doesn’t recognize Ines for her efforts—neither does it pay her equally. Despite this, Ines maintains a disposition even Peter Gibbons would die for, if he gave a damn.
The arrival of a young intern named Melody (Laetitia Mampaka) gives Ines another to-do alongside the several parallel tasks she already has on her plate. Again, even this doesn’t deter her, determined to train Melody the best she can in order for the latter “to make a career at EcoCleanPro.” At this point, Melody serves as the audience’s guide to understanding the situation. Melody, whose mother used to work at the company, initially came off as sarcastic and closed-off. But when she sees firsthand how Ines’ eagerness to please and commitment to her job only receive belittlement not only from the latter’s colleague but also to her boss Patrick (Peter Van den Begin), the young woman softens.
And even then, the men look at them as “predictable” women who probably talk about men and shopping.
When “Horrible Bosses” Meets “Jeanne Dielman”
As Melody witnesses Ines rehearsing the words she’d say to ask Patrick for that long-promised raise, the initial apathy becomes empathy with a pinch of befuddlement and frustration. On one hand, there’s this lot of sexist men who treat Ines as a doormat. On the other, there’s this professional woman who thinks that it’s okay to let those infractions slide.
For Ines, however, her patience is running out. So when Patrick not only disparages her request but also attempts to assault her, one bloody accident leads to another. Suddenly an incident that might result to Ines getting wrongfully convicted—no thanks to the sexist colleagues—looms large. Without even asking if what just transpired gave her the release she needed, Ines knows the soundest solution involves something she does best: clean up.
And with Melody in tow, they have the entire workday to sort their shit out.
“Employee of the Month”: A Darkly Comic Commentary on Toxic Workplace Cultures
“Employee of the Month” takes a serious issue about toxic office culture and places it under a genre lens. Bloody, mischievous, and comedic, the film manages to get its message across. Its execution usually falters especially during quieter moments; but when Jadin dials the film up anew, the adrenaline rush returns. It’s a jolt of excitement seeing a woman finally snapping after years of loyal service. And it wouldn’t have worked had it been someone else other than Jasmina Douieb in the lead role.
As a middle-aged woman working at a male-dominated office, Douieb’s Ines engenders a glass-half-full optimism, so much that it sometimes borders on naivete. Her dedication to EcoCleanPro has remained steadfast, even at the expense of being taken advantage of by workshy colleagues. Add to this the sickening sexism and misogyny she has to endure every day at the hands of her officemates, and audiences would rightfully feel Ines needs help with pushing back. Part of the film’s charm is Douieb in the lead; using just her eyes, we immediately imagine the character’s years-long patience putting upon others’ bullshit. And when Ines finally snapped, we both love her to succeed…and hate to be the person on the wrong end of her wrath.
Veronique Jadin’s “Employee of the Month” blends comedy and violence in a film that adroitly critiques toxic workplace cultures still underscored by sexism and misogyny. Every blood spilled was deserved—as did every laugh it got out of me.
“Employee of the Month” is currently doing rounds in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
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