‘Binoche’s naturalistic performance marries itself beautifully to the ensemble while grounding, in reality, a character unbelievable, yet true.’ - Elena Lazic, The Playlist

'It’s particularly perceptive when it comes to the ethics of using real lives as material, and the question of the legitimacy of emotional bonds if one party is hiding essential truths about themselves.' - Wendy Ide, Screen International

In the wake of the 2008 global economic collapse, undercover journalist Aubenas set out to a city where no one knew her to find work. Any work. Queuing alongside other job seekers, she found herself at the heart of a society of displaced, forgotten people. She eventually secured a few hours as a cleaner aboard a ferry crossing the English Channel. The resulting book, published in 2010, was a modern-day version of Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier. In Carrère’s screen adaptation, which he co-wrote with Hélène Devynck, Juliette Binoche plays Marianne Winckler, a fictional version of Aubenas, who relocates to the port city of Caen. There, she becomes part of a large community of people desperate to make ends meet. As well as recording the lives of the people she encounters, she witnesses a system that cannot cope with the demand of people whose lives have been upturned by a system beyond their control.