Tribeca Film Festival – Most of us have had crappy jobs. But for the lead in Employee of the Month, Ines (Jasmina Douieb), the workplace is so toxic that she goes on a killing spree, murdering her co-workers one by one. Director Véronique Jadin crafted a hilarious film, fit for The Great Resignation. This is one dark comedy that may ring true for too many workers.

Everyone at Ines’ workplace, EcoClean, is a jerk. Her co-workers, nearly all male, ask her to make their coffee or restock toilet paper. Even if Ines has the legal knowledge and impressive skills, they don’t care. When one of the company bigwigs, Anna (Laurence Bibot), gives a presentation on company finances, Ines realizes everyone is getting a raise again other than her. In fact, she hasn’t had one in 17 years, despite the fact she’s the only competent one in the entire office. With some reluctance, she approaches her boss, the totally inept Patrick (Peter Van den Begin), and asks for a raise. Of course, she’s denied. When the intern, Melody (Laetitia Mampaka), tries to intercede, Patrick ends up with a broken skull and dies. Ines spends the rest of the film accidentally (or not) picking off the rest of her co-workers and hiding the evidence by burning the bodies in a tub full of acid or stuffing them under couches.

This film is a rip from the get-go. The sexism is so over the top that it’s hilarious, if not sad. Mampaka and Douieb play off of each other well, and Jadin really makes excellent use of the office setting. Everything about EcoClean feels so drab and confining, including the gray walls and the bland carpet. The only contrast is Ines’ purple outfit. It’s a good set design, reflective of a job that’s trapped Ines for years. There’s also a fun evolution that occurs, as Ines slowly starts to loosen up, even chugging bottles of liquor and smoking, after a few kills. After witnessing how everyone treats her during the film’s first 20 minutes, you root for her to get away with it.

This film also works because of its pacing. You feel bad for Ines, witnessing all that she endures. Even Melody, who spends a mind-numbing amount of time shredding paper, laughs for a good few minutes after Ines mentions the idea of making a career at EcoClean. Clearly, Ines wanted something more out of life, but she’s stuck at a place where no one appreciates her. Many of them are too blundering to even notice the cover-up and increasing body count.

Employee of the Month is a sharp dark comedy with a lead you cheer for, even once she becomes a cold-blooded murderer. Unfortunately, the scenes about gender discrimination and unequal pay will feel all too familiar for some. For once, at least, the bad people get what they deserve, while the others are too incompetent to notice dead bodies hiding in fairly plain sight.

8 Out of 10