The Measure of a Man

The Measure of a Man (La Loi du marché, 2015) is a French social drama you can watch online on iFILM. Director Stéphane Brizé shot it with near-documentary restraint — fixed camera, long takes, no score — and Vincent Lindon's performance as Thierry claimed the Best Actor prize at Cannes.

Thierry is 51 and has been out of work for nearly two years. He finally lands a job as a supermarket security guard. It should be a relief. Instead, the role puts him in the position of monitoring colleagues, stopping desperate shoppers over small thefts, and reporting people who remind him of himself six months ago. Brizé doesn't editorialize — he just holds the camera still and lets the machinery of the workplace speak.

There's no villain and no twist. The system isn't corrupt; it just has no room for mercy. Lindon carries every scene on a face that says more than any dialogue could. Stream The Measure of a Man (2015) online on iFILM.