Les Nettoyeurs

The state of ruin of the Kalliste Estate in Marseille (16-storied blocks, the lift broken for two years, etc.) could lead you to believe you’re the outskirts of large third world city. In this inhospitable setting, Didier Bonnet runs a small cleaning company. With the help of two locals, he wants to show that the delinquency curve can be reserved on these estates. With a layer of rubbish rotting beneath the window, the first step in breaking the cycle of ruin – the ruin of the locals’ moral as well as of the premises – is to clean up. Day after day, colourful characters Mourad and Payet attack their thankless but fundamentally useful job with devotion, patience and courage. The director followed them for several months on an adventure that seemed doomed from the start.