Laurent says of Vincent in the film "LEmploi du Temps" that he invents a life that looks exactly like the one he is fleeing. Account for this paradox and discuss this view of Vincent.

The fabrication that Vincent creates requires an incredible amount of time and effort.  He is meticulous in his preparation, making sure that every detail is accounted for.  However, there is one aspect of his deception that poses a problem to Vincent, with which he has trouble dealing.  The issue is “comment distinguer le moments de la journée ou de l’année consacré au travail des moments de loisir, la vie privée de la vie professionelle”.  Unfortunately, Vincent’s sense of loyalty towards his friends and family is overpowered by the fear of his fraudulent life being discovered, and thus his scam develops throughout the film.  The attitude that he adopts with those close to him, in a way, distances him from them, creating a strong sense of isolation.  It could even be argued that “‘transactions’ have replaced ‘relationships’” in his interactions with others.  Boltanski & Chiapello echo this notion in Le Nouvel Esprit du Capitalisme by arguing that “il s’ensuit un brouillage assez troublant de la distinction entre relation amicale et relation d’affaires, entre le partage désintéressé d’intérêts communs et la poursuite d’intérêts professionnels et économiques”.

One important scene in demonstrating the lengths to which Vincent is prepared to go it is in order to sustain his new life, thus concealing his lie, is that in which Vincent meets with his companion from school, Fred.  This is the point at which Vincent’s Ponzi scheme commences, as he convinces his friend to part with a significant amount of money with a fictional lucrative investment proposal.  The charisma and confidence that Vincent displays in this scene is very noteworthy, due to the fact that confidence is a trait closely associated with a hypermodern society (in which seduction is key); as is the apparent ability to completely let go of the past, in the sense that he has no qualms in betraying his friend’s loyalty.

A similar situation arises when he meets with his childhood friend, Nono.  An important point to note here is that the humble lifestyle that Nono lives, is actually the type of existence that Vincent craves.  In this scene, Vincent appears to be noticeably less confident in the in the warm family environment within Nono’s home than he does in the quasi business sphere of the hotel lobby.  Interestingly, despite Vincent’s delusional state, in which “la séduction devient un des mécanismes majeurs”, Vincent is unable to go through with fleecing Nono, which could be said demonstrates that there is at least a slight sense of morality remaining inside Vincent.

Elsewhere in the film, the dramatic tensions within Vincent’s family circle are made apparent; however, a real sense of family is never communicated.  The dynamics of the relationship between Vincent and his wife, Muriel, are interesting to observe, in that no real sense of connection is ever portrayed.  This is not to say that it does not exist, but rather that it takes a back seat to the dominance of work and money.  There is a scene involving these two characters in which Vincent reveals his doubts to Muriel, seemingly wanting to tell the truth uncover his façade.  However, even though he is being honest about his emotions, he is elaborately lying at the same, which demonstrates the extent to which he has lost touch with reality and, in a sense, his own identity as an individual.

The relationship that Vincent has with his father is also rather thought-provoking.  It could be argued that Vincent’s father embodies the pressure of expectation of contemporary society that eventually drives Vincent to breaking point.  It is almost as if Vincent’s sense of self-identity and self-worth are dependent on his father’s recognition.  Thus, it can be suggested that Vincent’s incessant need for his father’s respect and approval is one of the principle drivers behind Vincent’s fabrication of his lucrative role at the UN.  The extent of the effect that this pressure has on Vincent, and how he as an individual internalises it, is portrayed after his father has offered him a cheque to finance his non-existent apartment in Geneva.  Vincent later offers his own son, Julien, 500 francs in order to attempt to demonstrate his affluence, as he feels that this will earn his son’s respect.

It is possible to better understand the paradox of Vincent inventing a life that resembles the one from which he is fleeing, by placing it in the wider context of the workplace in a contemporary society.  In this age of hypermodernity, in which everything is accelerated and pushed to the extremes, there is a significant amount of pressure on the individual in all aspects of life, particularly with regard to employment.  In Les Temps Hypermodernes, Lipovetsky even goes as far to suggest that the demands of the present moment in the contemporary workplace have become so intense and consuming that it can result in the individual becoming locked in a perpetual present.  Zygmunt Bauman talks about the contemporary existence of society as being a ‘liquid modernity’, a concept which is echoed by Marx and Engels who came up with the rather poetic phrase “all that is solid melts into air”, which can be used to suggest that society is now at a stage where everything is in flux.  Organisations have evolved from the bureaucratic Weberian “iron cages” that epitomised the disciplinary culture of modernity, to become more fluid and less rigid, which has resulted in individuals being forced to adapt and become more flexible: “Plus il faut être mobile, flexible, réactif, prêt à changer en permanence”.  Richard Sennett discusses this at length The Culture of the New Capitalism, putting forward some interesting ideas.  He finds that the type of individual who appears to be well adapted to this unstable, fragmented environment of contemporary capitalism is problematic, in the sense that “a self orientated to the short term, focused on potential ability, willing to abandon past experience is – to put a kindly face on the matter – an unusual sort of human being”.  He argues that “most people are not like this; they need a sustaining life narrative, they take pride in being good at something specific, and they value the experiences they’ve lived through.   The cultural ideal required in new institutions thus damages many of the people who inhabit them”.  We can see this concept operating in full effect on the character of Vincent.  Sennett criticises this discourse of the ‘fresh start’ heavily, suggesting that this shift in society, and the subsequent requirement for individuals to continually demonstrate their flexibility and prove their potential, exerts an enormous amount of pressure on the individual and can result in a corrosion of character; an individual who is overly flexible can have no fixed moral compass.  It could be argued that, in L’emploi du Temps, Vincent’s entire fantasy existence is a direct result of this new era of capitalism in which so much is expected of the individual.  The pressure he was under gradually wore him down and eventually drove him to a life of deception.

In L’individu Incertain, Alain Ehrenberg echoes this notion put forward by Sennett by suggesting that “nous avons basculé d’une détermination par un passé, à laquelle il était devenu possible d’échapper grâce aux progrès de la protection sociale et à la croissance économique, à une indétermination par l’avenir, qui reporte sur l’individu des responsabilités relevant auparavant de l’action publique.  Nous sommes entrés dans une société de responsabilité de soi : chacun doit impérativement se trouver un projet et agir par lui-même pour ne pas être exclu du lien”.  Whereas before people could draw upon collective support networks of old to help deal with the pressures around them, individuals must now cope on their own.  This is due to the fact that the outside parameters, which they used to be able to use ass frames of reference for guidance and support, have been removed (or ‘melted into air’) by this intensification of individualisation associated with hypermodern society.  The solitude of Vincent’s character throughout the film (especially when he is in Geneva) is a perfect representation of the isolation that individuals in contemporary society risk finding themselves in.  

Pascal Hubbard provides an interesting take on this matter in La Communauté Manoeuvrée.  Although he does not specifically use the term ‘hypermodern’, his ideas fit in with the concept of the individualisation (or ‘lack of community’) in the workplace in contemporary society.  Quoting Boltankski & Chiapello, he discusses how this new age of capitalist society is characterised by “de nouvelles formes de contrôle qui, faisant moins intervenir une surveillance directe, exercée dans le face à dace par des personnes investies d’un pouvoir sur d’autres personnes qui en sont démunies, sont moins visibles sans être pour autant absentes : autocontrôle, contrôle par le marché et contrôle informatique en temps réel mais à distance, se combinent pour exercer une pression quasi permanente sur les salaries”.  This system of ‘auto-control’ is demonstrated in L’emploi du Temps by the fact that, even though he is unemployed, Vincent still internalises these norms put forward by society and behaves in the ways that are expected of him.  Hubbard discusses the paradox of how the demand for increased autonomy following Mai 68 has actually resulted in an increase in control, suggesting that “la présence concrète des centres de pouvoir” has been removed, and replaced by a system in which individuals are constrained by the fear of being viewed as incompetent or inflexible.

This is the problem with which Vincent has trouble dealing; he says “Il y a des moments où je ne sais plus ce qu’on m’a demandé de faire, ce qu’on attend de moi.  Alors je commence à paniquer, le moindre coup de fil à passer devient insurmontable”.  Vincent de Gaulejac says, “on lui prescrit d’être autonome, mais la conquête de l’autonomie passé par l’acceptation des cadres, l’incorporation d’habitus, l’intériorisation de façons de faire et d’être”.  This is the concept that the individual must be autonomous but, in order to do so, he must adhere to fairly constraining norms.  Individuals, such a Vincent, can find this requirement to fulfil contradictory roles incredibly problematic, which can potentially result in a feeling of confusion or perdition.

In conclusion, it is evident that within contemporary society the individual is exposed to a substantial amount of pressure resulting directly from the loss of security that this increase in autonomy has brought about.  People can no longer turn to external frames of reference for support and guidance; in this “société de responsabilité de soi” the individual must find a way to succeed by himself.  In the case of Vincent, it can be argued that his fraudulent life is a direct consequence of his inability to deal with the demands and expectations of the hypermodern age.  When presented with the opportunity to abscond from the pressures associated with middle class employment that he found so difficult to cope with, he does not take it, but instead ends up creating a life that is almost identical to that from which he so desperately wants to escape.

Words: 2517

Bibliography

Aubert, N. (2004). L’individu hypermoderne. Erès.

Boltanski, L. & Chiapello, E. (1999). Le Nouvelle Esprit du Capitalisme. Gallimard.

Ehrenberg, A. (1995). L’individu Incertain. Hachette.

Houba, P. (2003). Communauté manœuvrée. Multitude Web.

L’empoi du Temps (2001). Film. Directed by Cantet, L. France: Palace Films.

Lipovetsky, G. (2004). Les Temps Hypermodernes. Grasset.

Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1848). The Communist Manifesto.

Sennett, R. (2006). The Culture of the New Capitalism. Yale University Press.

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