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I remember a movie where there are maybe 3 characters sitting at a desk, doing some sort of mind-numbing work. The desks are in a poorly lit basement-looking area.

There is a cheery voice that comes on the intercom at some repeating interval, announcing something like:

"There are 1478 minutes until the weekend!" (This is the discerning feature I remember)

I think there's a character that gets fed up, and decides to do something unexpected. The movie was kind of "out there", and may have been violent.

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  • Brazil, I expect
    – Valorum
    May 7, 2020 at 18:37
  • Was this some type of dystopia? Do you remember any scifi or fantastical elements?
    – Laurel
    May 7, 2020 at 18:37
  • I'm thinking it's an industry-gone-too-far dystopian movie, with some Douglas Adams style of sarcasm in it. I'm looking at the plot for Brazil, and I don't believe I've ever seen it (though I might have to now)
    – Aww_Geez
    May 7, 2020 at 18:39
  • 3
    @Aww_Geez run, do not walk, to see Brazil
    – Organic Marble
    May 7, 2020 at 18:44

1 Answer 1

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16

I think this may be the 2008 film Visioneers

In a dystopian near-future, the Jeffers Corporation is the "largest, friendliest and most profitable business in the history of Mankind," and is driving out a culture of independent thought and intimacy. The corporation and its leader, Mr. Jeffers, claim success is achieved by its strict philosophy of mindless productivity. Jeffers teaches that productivity equals happiness, and the business logo (a middle finger) is the standard greeting in society.

George Washington Winsterhammerman (Zach Galifianakis), a descendant of George Washington, is a Level-3 "tunt" employee at the Jeffers Corporation, and is suffering from overeating and impotence as a result of alienation common in this society. George then begins to "suffer from dreams" wherein he is the first president of the United States, beset by the prospect of losing the American Revolutionary War, and contemplating surrender to the British. Winsterhammerman is told by authority figures that dreams are a symptom of stress that leads to spontaneous bodily explosion, an escalating problem across the world.

Despite the government's increasingly intrusive attempts to combat explosions, culminating in mandatory neck-worn "inhibitors" created by the Jeffers Corporation, people including George's co-worker, Todd, continue to explode. After George's friend and superior, Charisma, is fired, George discovers she now works in a café, and meets with her in an attempt to avoid unhappiness. After a brief talk, Charisma confides that she has dreams too, and that they involve George and her running away together.

This site has a relevant quote which I found via a Google search for film announcement "until the weekend"

Automated announcement:
[ding] There are 1,200 minutes of productivity remaining until the weekend. [ding]

Automated announcement:
[one minute later] [ding] There are 1,199 minutes of productivity remaining until the weekend. [ding]

Trailer

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  • 3
    That's right, the violent aspect was the people exploded! You'd think I'd remember that part the most. Thanks for the quick answer! This is definitely it.
    – Aww_Geez
    May 7, 2020 at 18:51

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