You might see this out there as both a film and a five-part TV series (currently on Apple TV). Apparently, this was a direct result of how the show was financed and distributed by the French network Canal+ (specifically via its Création Décalée label). The project was developed by creators Julien Bittner and Sébastien Drouin as a single, continuous, real-time narrative. In total, the runtime is about an hour and a half, so it's the perfect length for a film too. They wanted it to appeal to TV viewers and on-demand streaming audiences alike, so they decided to break it down into five 20-minute chapters. It was shown as a film too, though, so you might find it in that format somewhere, but don't get confused by the likes of IMDb!
The other thing that you might not know is that VTC stands for Véhicule de Tourisme avec Chauffeur (essentially the French equivalent of Uber). Golshifteh's character, Nora, is one of these ride-share drivers in Paris and we join her, going about her work, at the beginning of this particular night. Just to complicate things, she's pretty much addicted (though trying to stop) to amphetamines to stay awake on the night shift. She's also supposed to be attending her daughter's birthday party at her ex-husband's house. Having no home of her own, she is sleeping in the car when she can, trying to save enough to get an appartment. As if this wasn't bad enough, she has a brother, Ben (Vincent Heneine), who, unknown to her at the outset, seems to be involved with a shady bunch of people.
During her shift, Ben, who is also a night driver, gets into a car accident. Nora races to the scene, but Ben is quite messed up and has to go to hospital. He doesn't want to go because he is carrying a bag which he has agreed to drop urgently at a destination as part of his driving role. He begs her to take it to the location and drop it for him, which she agrees to do. What she doesn't realise is that Ben was working on the side as a courier for a dangerous, underground criminal syndicate. The moment she takes possession of the package, she inadvertently signs herself up for a terrifying descent into the Parisian underworld.
Over the next few hours, Nora is pushed to her physical and psychological limits. Every passenger she picks up brings a new layer of threat or chaos. She encounters aggressive drug dealers, erratic clients and a shady handler named Paul Martin (played by the French rapper/actor Gringe). As the night progresses, Nora is forced to navigate a toxic web of extortion and violence. She has to constantly abuse amphetamines to maintain her focus and outrun the escalating danger, all while maintaining the veneer of a regular ride-share driver to avoid drawing police attention.
The tension peaks as Nora realises that the people she is delivering for have no intention of letting her go quietly, and that her brother Ben’s accident may not have been an accident at all. To survive the night and get the money she needs to save her relationship with her daughter, Nora has to endure the claustrophobic confines of her own vehicle, turning it into a weapon against her pursuers. So, the rest of the film becomes a race against time - and potentially getting bumped off by the crooks if she fails to comply, meet deadlines or do as she's told.
It's a real thrill-ride and most of the footage comes claustrophobically from within the car - some of it from her actual dashcam - and we ride along to find out if she makes it out alive, what happens to Ben, if the pair of them can escape death from the clutches of these nasty people and if Nora can get to her daughter in time to save her status as a mum. Golshifteh is fabulous, but you knew I'd say that! She's such a good actress and totally embraces the horror of this role as her character leaps from crisis to crisis, physically shattered and traumatised as a result of this brutal night. It's really very well done and well worth tracking down in these great bite-sized pieces to binge in an evening.
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