Search - Time Out on DVD

Highly recommended mood movie

A. C. Walter | Lynnwood, WA USA | 08/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Vincent--a tall, quiet, morose middle-aged man--is fired from his job, he finds himself unexpectedly cut loose from society and set adrift from life as he knows it. Instead of looking for a job, he casually cons some family and friends out of substantial chunks of money in order to support his wife and three children while he spends week after week driving through the European countryside in winter. A subdued but inescapable tension builds for the audience as we continually fail to understand what motivates Vincent to risk so much, and this tension becomes only more profound when we realize that Vincent himself does not understand his actions. "Time Out" is a hypnotically sad story told at a measured, melancholy pace with a haunting musical score that circumscribes Vincent's strange, incomprehensible mystery."

Man's Search for Happiness...

Kim Anehall | Chicago, IL USA | 04/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vincent is on a route where he is out driving trying to find something, while hiding that he has been laid off from his family. The anxiety of displaying failure to his family and parents seems to be overwhelming for Vincent and he begins to pretend that he has quit his job for a better job in Switzerland. Through his idea of lying about his newly acquired job, he is lead astray from reality, and he must cover his lies by providing the necessary means for his family. He does so by scamming his acquaintances and friends for large amounts of money. In return, he offers a large profit through his pretend job, however, this is overheard by a man in a hotel lobby. This man interferes with Vincent's plan, but in return he finds a new profitable business through this stranger. During this, Vincent is struggling with to keep his family happy and content, but the wife begins to smell a rat. Time Out is an intriguing slow paced thriller about a man's pride and his search for happiness, which provides well developed characters and ingenious cinematography that enhances the quality of the film. Ultimately, the audience is provided well-rounded story that is presented through an astounding cinematic experience."

The Search for Meaning in Ordinary Life

Tom Shi | Columbus, OH United States | 01/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vincent is an average working stiff family man who suddenly lose his job. Finding another job is not really the problem, something deeper than unemployment is troubling this man. His old job so consumes him, yet at the same time is so meaningless to him, that he panicks and become slightly unhinged. He doesn't tell his family, and pretend to be still working, spending his days driving around the country side, sitting in parks. Gradually, he descend into moral seediness. What's disturbing is that this guy has a very loving family and good, decent friends. It's the man's relationship with his work that's troubling. The movie didn't really come together for me until the very last shot, where the themes of the movie that bubbled under the surface rise up in the subtle emotions of his face as a quiet trap close over him.Some people may say, "Well, he is bored with his job, so what? Many of us are!" But I think that's merely the surface of what he is going through. He is a lost man desperately searching for meaning and passion in life. In that aspect, his struggles are like many of our daily struggles amplified, and deserve our sympathy."

Daddy's boy

LGwriter | Astoria, N.Y. United States | 07/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The French are masters of subtlety and here's another film that proves it. Vincent, a quiet family man, keeps up the appearance of having his job to make his family--wife and three kids--feel secure with him. But there is another force working at Vincent, inside him and it is just as powerful, if not more so, in his game-playing. He is in thrall to his father, a wealthy businessman who, thanks to his great success, has been able to not only raise Vincent well but also psychologically tie a noose around his neck his entire life. Although this does not seem to be a major theme, it becomes crystal clear near the end of the film. Vincent's own "success" is a mockery of his father's as he scams people left and right, lies to those he knows and loves, and engages in criminal activity. This subtle display of familial dysfunction is a brilliant psychological character study and for that reason alone, makes this a film worth not only watching but owning. It's possible not too many others will have this interpretation of the film, but from my perspective, that's what it is.Highly recommended."