Cassandre (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a twenty-six-year-old flight attendant at the budget airline, Wings. When not in the air she fills her time with parties, drinks, and one-night stands – a truly transient lifestyle so as not to be held back. When her contract ends, she is given the option of termination or advancement to cabin manager. Not wanting to return home, she reluctantly opts for advancement, but after an unfortunate lapse in judgment costs Cassandre her position, she has no choice but to face the past which she has spent over three years running from. 

Rien à Foutre, or, as it can be searched on Mubi: Zero Fucks Given, is a character study written and directed by Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre in collaboration with Mariette Désert on the page. At 115 minutes, the film has two very distinct chapters, first with Cassandre at work, and the latter after her discharge. Like many films that have massive shifts in focus or perspective at the midway point, one half always shines just a little bit brighter, and in the case of Rien à Foutre, the film starts off very strong but heads in towards a rough ending. 

At the center of the film, Exarchopoulos carries the film in a rather difficult role given her attachment to seemingly nothing. Even her job, she views it simply as a paycheck and only accepts the higher training as a way to extend her time with the company. We find out, though, despite her seeming ambivalence she actually does quite well in her role. There is a version of this film where the first half plays out like an incredibly dry and deadpan black comedy about corporate culture in the guest service industry, and that is not lost on Exarchopoulos as she pushes back against her superior’s questions about why she rates her team’s performance so high when the issues experienced on an exceptionally poor flight were out of the attendant’s control. She resents hearing that “the customer is always right” from someone in a suit and tie sitting back at the office and the script highlights the poor behavior that comes from that money-focused mindset as well as the poor working conditions it makes for the company’s employees when all they care about is the bottom line. 

When Cassandre is not in the air, she can often be found at clubs or swiping through tinder in her hotel room. The camera work here, more so when she is with her nameless beaus, is incredibly raw with – what little light finds its way into those rooms – oftentimes quite harsh on the skin. This shift in style is distracting, but not truly offensive as it shows Cassandre at some of her most vulnerable moments. We realize slowly that she is purposefully drifting aimlessly, and while the drugs and alcohol often lead to some strange conversations, there is a layer of sadness about her that bubbles up to the surface. It is another sign that this job is a perfect fit for our heroine as not only does she not need to return home, but she is also required to not bring this emotional baggage aboard with her to work. 

As alluded to, a change is coming and Cassandre finds herself forced back home and the film, unfortunately, grinds to an absolute halt. This second half finds her navigating her strained relationships with her father, Jean (Alexandre Perrier), and her sister, Mélissa (Mara Taquin). The irony of Jean and Mélissa working in new home construction and real estate is not lost and it immediately presents itself in stark contrast to how the trio has handled their emotions in the wake of a family tragedy, but this detail is not focused on nearly enough to inject some narrative interest into the second hour. Nor is there much meaningful repair done to the family bond; it is as aimless as Cassandre is in her life and makes for a very laborious watch. In the end, they all double down on their unhealthy remedies for grief in a perversely happy – or rather, optimistic – ending. 

The concept behind Rien à Foutre has a lot of potential, and the first half of the film is very engaging in its presentation. The story takes a long time to reveal itself through its more vignette-style scene structure as opposed to a more traditional narrative, but Exarchopoulos is absolutely magnetic on-screen and keeps us with her the whole time. There are so many seeds planted about who she is and where she comes from in otherwise seemingly throwaway exchanges that it is clear the screenwriting team meticulously crafted the script, the problem arises when the goal they may have had while writing does not match the goal they set the audience up to believe they are headed. For that reason, even though Rien à Foutre contains many elements of praise, the lack of narrative clarity actively works against the enjoyment of the film in the moment. While the film eventually will reveal its faint path upon reflection, the lackadaisical unfolding of the story on screen can be a real test of patience to see where it is headed.