The Overworked

Directed by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze

25 minutes / B&W
French / English subtitles
Release: 1957
Copyright: 1957

Included on 2-disc box set Early Short Films of the French New Wave.

A morality tale about the dangers of modern urban life. Catherine (Yane Barry), a champion young typist from small-town France, heads to Paris to be with her fiancé (Jean-Pierre Cassel) — who also happens to be her new boss. Living with her sister and brother-in-law, she becomes enchanted with the big city — and is soon seduced not just by the dancing and parties, but also by a young and exciting PR man named Jimmy (Jean-Claude Brialy). Meanwhile, at home, her brother-in-law is worn out and exhausted, the result of too many years of pushing himself to the limit. Can Catherine find some kind of balance before she too collapses?

Co-written by François Truffaut, THE OVERWORKED is notable for its breakneck pacing, mirroring the perils of modern life, and Barry’s performance as the ingenue, trying to find her way in the metropolis.

Ways to Watch

Colleges, Universities, Government Agencies, Hospitals, and Corporations
This title is available for streaming only.

Available for educational streaming from:

Credits

A film by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze
Co-written by François Truffaut 

Select Accolades

  • Official Selection, Oberhansen Short Film Festival 1967

RELATED TITLES

Short films from the French New Wave — the earliest works of its most emblematic auteurs. Including Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Maurice Pialat, and more.

2023 | 348 minutes | Color | French | English subtitles

In a lavish country villa, a will reading is the occasion for three couples’ romantic and sexual pursuits and deceptions.

Jacques Doniol-Valcroze | 2022 | 84 minutes | French | English subtitles

A film producer is roped into a murder investigation, which starts to intersect with a long-hidden crime from his time as a Resistance fighter during WWII.

Jacques Doniol-Valcroze | 2022 | 72 minutes | French | English subtitles