Hello everyone, Happy Oscars and Cesars weekend -
As most of you know, the Oscars are TONIGHT, but the Cesars, the French film industy's awards show, was on Friday, so we already know what the best French films of the year are, thank you very much.
As predicted, Xavier Beauvois's DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX (OF GODS AND MEN in English) won Best Picture, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography - The film is being released by Sony Pictures Classics in the US and I urge you all to go see it - I saw it at Cannes last year kind of accidentally; I didn't know any of Beauvois's earlier films, and just stumbled into this screening because it was a competition film that fit into my schedule. Its a really beautiful film and one of my favorites this year - as you may have heard, it's based on true story of a group of French monks at a monastery in Algeria during thethe civil war of 1990s, and their decision over whether they should stay or leave as things became more and more harrowing for foreigners and French in particular to stay. Its a contemplative film that has a lot to say about humanitarian aid and action, but says it in a quiet and thoughtful voice. Several of thethe actors are leading stars of the film industry here - though may only be known by American audiences for their small roles in international blockbusters - the film's star, Lambert Wilson, played the creepy albino twins in the 2nd Matrix film, though he's a serious and reknowned actor here in France. Ironique, as the French would say.
Anyway - this week felt the most like a New York work week for Matt and I, one where by Friday night we were both exhausted, forced ourselves to go to dinner and a movie, but (also in typical New York fashion) got to the movie theater and found that the movie was sold out - I'm in my classes every day at 10AM at the Sorbonne, which means getting up at a more regular working persons time and slogging through the crosstown metro; it's actually very good for building a routine, but has left me more tired at the end of the day as a result.
Today I thought I'd tell you a little story about my class in Francais des Affaires, or Business French, which shows that the intrigue of Louis XIV's Versaille is still in evidence in the minds of French people, even when hiring a lowly receptionist.
My core class at the Sorbonne is advanced level Business French, which meets every day for two hours and actually does a little bit of everything, with a business slant. So it could be grammar, vocabulary, written or spoken French, but all with the mindset of how it would be used in business and economic terms. The class is quite big because I think its the only section offered, so it's about 30 people, most of them around my age who have moved to France and are starting to look for jobs. I'm meeting people a really interesting group of people; so far, my core group consists of a Finnish guy, a girl from the Ukraine, one from South Korea, and one from Kazakhstan. There are actually quite a few people from the former soviet Central Asian Republics, many of whom look Chinese but speak Russian - which for me was something I knew intellectually existed but was still surprising the first time I saw it.
Our teacher is great, and has been teaching at the Sorbonne for 25 years - basically her entire career. SO while she's got a mastery of teaching most things ,the "Business French" part gets a little funny, as she has never worked in a business outside the Sorbonne. What she's told us she does instead is go on interviews with different human resources managers at different companies for practice so that she can give us a sense of what an "Entretien d'Embauche", or Job Interview. This leads to some funny moments in class:
"What does one find in the reception hall, class?"
"One finds armchairs...low tables... magazines ... newspapers..."
"Yes, and what kinds of newspapers?"
"Economic newspapers....newspapers of the business the company is in"
"Yes and what else? On the tables you will find the company's brochures and pamphlets. Now, why is it important that the company have brochures and pamphlets in the waiting room?"
" To find out about the companies business?"
" No, they are a trap. The company will use them to observe you."
" A trap?"
"Yes. What can you do in the waiting room while waiting for your interview? You can, of course look out the window, send email, read a magazine. But the company will observe what you are doing. The brochures are a test of your CURIOUSITY. What you must do is find the brochure and enter the interview with the company brochure in your hand. This is the only way they will know you are serious about the job."
She also told us that sometimes the company hides the brochures in the corner of the room, but we should not let this deter us.
This actually isn't terrible advice, but the idea that the company is observing you in the waiting room and seeing if you do the one right thing just fed into my paranoia that there are codes in France that I don't understand and that people are secretly laughing at me.
But the intrigue doesn't stop there. It also, apparently, extends to what drink you choose. Per our teacher:
"It is also very interesting when they offer you a drink at the interview, because your choice gives them a way of psychoanalysing you. The best choice, of course, is water - its neutral. When they offer you something to drink, you can't refuse, you don't want to look like a stuffy person. But when they bring you the water, the best thing to do is not to drink it. You should leave it on the table in front of you, because this will be a show of strength - on the day of the interview, you should not show hunger or thirst. Who knows what they will think if you ask for tea, coffee, or god forbid a soda?"
Again, proving that everything in France is a game of subtle power and diplomacy, even what drink you ask for in the waiting room. This made my American side of course want to say "I'll get a fucking coffee if I want to!" - But this may just be the fears of the ex-pat talking.
Interestingly, when I told this story to my friend Eugenie, a French woman who works in film development in LA , she said -" That's exactly how I feel all the time here! I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong or if people are just assholes!" Which could be an apt description of anyone's time in LA. But from an expat perspective, it's true - if you don't have the social codes down pat, it's hard to tell when you're doing something wrong, or someone is just being a jerk.
Next week, more hilarity from the world of French business, this time in the form of me translating my resume into French and writing the all-important "Lettre de Motivation" - French equivalent of a cover theletter, but much more of a sales pitch than what we usually put together in the US.
Have a great week, everyone, and let me know what's going on with you -
xo Claire
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