Opération 118 318 sévices clients (2010)

Director:

Julien Baillargeon

Writers:

Daive Cohen
David Azencot
(more)

Release Date:

17 November 2010 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Call Center

Cast

Lionnel Astier	...	Segondas
Bernard Auguste Koueno	...	Koulibali
David Azencot	...	Agent Locacar
Djiby Badiane	...	Noël Pole Emploi
Caroline Bal	...	Mme Spitakis
Dominique Bathenay	...	Dominique Bathenay
Jackie Berroyer	...	Agent Pole Emploi
Booder	...	Kader Belkacem
Guillaume Bursztyn	...	Lilian 118
Nicolas Carpentier	...	Victor
Francis Coffinet	...	Jacques Leandri
Rachid de France	...	Baltard - inspecteur du travail
Amandine de La Richardière	...	Marjorie Garcia
Douceline Derreal	...	Hotesse d'aéroport
Céline Duhamel	...	Christiane - Superviseuse
Elise Durel	...	Samantha
Anouk Feral	...	Florence Jarry
Christophe Fluder	...	Recruteur 1
Lucas Froin	...	Kamilou
Jérôme Gagnaire	...	Le prefet
Bruno Hausler	...	Mathieu Polivennes
Sylvia Homawoo	...	Chef de Plateau Cotonou
Hortense Jacquinet	...	Hortense
Sylvie Lachat	...	Patronne hotel
Igor Latinovic	...	Chauffeur Paris
Sandrine Le Berre	...	Myriam
Cécile Leccompte-Belin Marouani	...	Linda Lantier - journaliste ITV
Maxime Poisot	...	Singh - ingénieur réseau
Jérôme Polny	...	Stagiaire Manettes
El Razzougui	...	Mohammed Benani
Khaled Rekik	...	Recruteur 2
Alexandre Steiger	...	Jean Jean
Bertrand Tschaen	...	Jean Patrick
Alexandre Tsuk	...	Jean Pierre
Nicolas Ullman	...	Ricky et Dunod

Directed by
Julien Baillargeon		(chief)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Azencot
Daive Cohen
Manuel Jacquinet

Produced by
Deborah Chiarella	....	line producer
Elise Durel	....	line producer
Marie Tauzia	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Phil Lees		(original music by)
La Violette		(segment composer)

Cinematography by
Raphael Bauche		(director of videography)

Film Editing by
Jean-François Elie

Sound Department
Julien Bourgon	....	assistant re-recording mixer
Charles Ferré	....	boom operator
Patrick Valey	....	sound editor
Patrick Valey	....	sound mixer
Patrick Valey	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Lilla Smoluch	....	electrician

Editorial Department
Fanny Ficheux	....	assistant editor

Production Companies

• 118 Productions (production company)

Distributors

• Artédis (2010) (France) (theatrical)

Runtime:

France:88 min (original version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS (RCA Sound System)

Company:

118 Productions

When outsourcing gets you closer/and further/ than you think

Is it still possible to create something in a comedy about call centers after the multiple award-winning, and hugely likable Slumdog Millionaire ?

The answer brought by 118318 is yes. First by centering the story on the call center itself, whereas it was just an episode in Slumdog. True, you could also mention "The Other End of The Line" which is more extensively about call centers. But this film is no romance.

So then comes the second idea : locating the outsourced call center in a much closer, although not less exotic location than India. The call center in 118318 (the 118XXX numbers are used in France by phone-directory services, notorious for their far-less-than-professional quality due to the outsourcing of the call centers in terrible countries) is not in India, in the Philippines, nor in their equivalents for the French customer in northern Africa, the call center is here located in rural France - although other world locations will be seen as the story unfolds, but I won't spoil it. And even in rural France, the reps can be slackers. Maybe even more so.

Such slackers that the call center will need a full-scale, last-hope mission to be saved. The local MP who needs the jobs to stay there so he can be re-elected will therefore ask his good friend working for the top, national level government offices to come and rescue the business. Needless to say, this exquisitely trained intellectual (Polivennes) know nuts about call centers, the countryside, and even human relations. He will therefore need time before he can consider the ideas of the low-ranking but inventive and much more down-to-earth rank-and-file within the company. Idea number three : the social satire. Which is the aspect that made me personally laugh the most.

This film without using jargon or getting too technical reveals more, much more than you would initially imagine about the call center business, but also about human relations within a beleaguered company. Although some situations and gags are not new, although the lack of budget is sometimes obvious, the film kept me interested and smiling all along. Acting is definitely decent, and everybody in this film seems to be having a good time making it : the viewer can feel it.

For all its interesting ideas, I believe an American remake of the film would be a success, not only in theaters, but also in management training sessions.