Two Days, One Night

The acute social dramas of the Dardenne Brothers are always sparingly observed with a genuine humanity and emotional range at their core.

Two Days, One Night is no exception, dealing with a young woman, Sandra (played by Marion Cotillard) who learns she is about to lose her job after the majority of her co-workers vote to save their own annual bonuses at the expense of her continued employment.

With her husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongioni), she seeks to persuade them individually to support her at a second secret ballot to be held after the weekend.

She only has two days to change her fate, which brings its own emotional toll as she knocks on the doors of her colleagues with the simple message: “Don’t pity me. Just put yourself in my shoes.”

Previously she has suffered from bouts of depression, a fact that is used against her by the factory foreman. As the deadline looms on Monday, the tensions mounts to an almost nail-biting extent.

Cotillard gives a bravura and quietly introspective performance as the wife and mother struggling to keep body, soul and family together in strained circumstances while Rongioni, a frequent Dardennes collaborator, gives her support and comfort without any exaggerated emotions.

Although there are parts of the film that do not necessarily ring true (Sandra’s overdosing on pills jars as just one example) the film is rich in observation and telling details.

By the time the “showdown” about her future looms, the tension has become almost unbearable.