Time Out

Heartbreaking, particularly in how relentlessly it sticks to its raison d'etre in its final act: exploring both the potential alienating effect of the modern business environment, but also more importantly (and more poignantly) the inability of many modern men to render themselves vulnerable and seek help when they need it.

A Agenda estreava há 20 anos no Festival de Veneza. Eu conheci a história do homem no qual foi baseado, então não sei o que pensar desse grande desenvolvimento de tensão constante para o filme terminar em esperança, claro, todo mundo gosta de esperança, mas talvez eu seja pessimista demais para lidar com esse final. DVDRip no MakingOff.

84.500

Slow and grey, but huge in showing a desperate mans insane plan to stay sane. Zero manipulation, you are free to make up your own mind about these peoples behaviour. And though a rare story, it can even tell you something about you and your society. The ending feels perfect.

The first quiet scenes are powerful. Recoing delivers a strong performance and Cantet successfully creates a hypnotic mood of despair and disorientation, thanks to his visual prowess. Still, the plot derails in the second half, as it becomes needlessly convoluted while failing to add anything new to what's already been explicitly described through the muted forcefulness of the initial scenes. It's an interesting document about the woes of unemployment, but ultimately far from revelatory.

Dragged a bit...20 minutes easily could've been lopped off. But the final scene elevated the film for me. Was not expecting that type of ending at all.

A really powerful film that gains much of its impact from lingering on its subjects and letting the tiny details sink in. I really felt for this terrified man and his complete inability to be vulnerable in front of those who loved him. A rare critique of western working man.

It's a bit tough to watch a man digging himself into a hole out of a misplaced sense of pride, but the film makes it very understandable. While it's a little too drawn out it's a very contemplative film that is even more relevant now than it was 9 years ago.

The film feels very earnest, collected, focused, it's nice and delicate in its formal sobriety, treats its "cynical" antihero with dignity, and address something fundamentally interesting - but it's a bit "stiff", explicit and overbearingly solem at times... But still, good shit.

Brutally honest film about the pain one man is willing to inflict in order to at least appear to live a more preferable life.

"I'm not afraid."