TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT – The Review

An eternal quandary: love or money? Or in the case of this acclaimed new export, friendship or money? You might be in the position to choose one over the other, but what if you’re thrust into the advocate role? What if you must race against the clock to convince a group to not side with “filthy lucre”? Can you be persuasive enough, that is, if they’ll even listen to you? This is the intimate story of a woman facing an incredible challenge during TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT.

The film begins is the cozy home of the Byas. Father Manu (Fabrizio Rongione) has prepared breakfast for his pre-teen daughter and son, but mother Sandra (Marion Cotillard) lingers in bed. She’s in the last days of a medical leave from work at a solar panel factory. The source of the leave is never clearly stated, but from her demeanor and her over-reliance on medication we gather that she suffered some sort of mental breakdown. After finally getting to the kitchen, she gets a call from her work-mate pal Juliette. Seems that the big boss Dumont believes that he can run the shop better with 16 employees (and a bit of overtime) than 17, but he wants his workers to decide. Unfortunately the foreman Jean-Marc, who dislikes Sandra, has been spreading out-right lies. There was a show of hands vote that Friday: bring back Sandra or let her go and each employee would get a thousand Euro bonus at year’s end. The Euros won by a wide margin. Juliette and Sandra race down to the shop and corner Dumont in the parking lot as he leaves for the weekend. He reluctantly agrees to another vote, a secret ballot, on Monday morning. Rushing back home, the women make a plan. Juliette tells Sandra who voted against her, so that she may visit them (preferably in person) over the weekend and convince them to change their vote. The still fragile Sandra isn’t up to the task, but Manu urges her on. They cannot afford their lovely home on just his cook’s salary and would have to pack up and move into a tiny apartment. And so the arduous task begins, with the still shaky Sandra taking buses and cabs as she embarks on a campaign to save her job and preserve her family.

This deceptively small, simple story proves to be a showcase for the gifted Oscar-winner Ms. Cotillard. She balances an acting tightrope as the damaged, but resilient Sandra. From the opening moments we can see that she still needs time to heal before the news of the big vote gets to her. Sandra then runs the emotional gauntlet from panic, despair, determination, hopelessness, and acceptance. She must someone find the courage that’s buried beneath her psyche’s collapse and the deadening short-term bliss of her meds. Her mind and body desire to crawl back under the covers till all has blown over. Cotillard makes this complex, often frustrating woman an endearing soul that the audiences embrace and ultimately invest in. Rongione compliments her,with Manu having to truly take control of the family dynamic. This husband must not only be a father to the two children, but in a way, now parent his spouse while also being coach and cheerleader. He also seems at times overwhelmed, not quite understanding his wife’s condition, unsure of how hard to push her in the fight. Hoping to bend, not break her. The whole team of supporting players are terrific as the co-workers surprised to see Sandra confront and campaign on their home turf, invading the safety of their weekend. A few will try to evade her, some flat-out shut her down (they need that bonus), while others are swayed (to the anger of their partners and spouses), with one breaking down in tears at the shame of the earlier vote.

The directing/writing team of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne never let flashy techniques or camera work intrude on the intimacy of this tale of turmoil and triumph. They eschew flashbacks (how did Sandra leave? what is her beef with Jean-Marc?), to make us concentrate on the present. We’re there, just over her shoulder, as Sandra knocks on doors, unsure of what will occur. It’s “fly-on-the-wall” film making, knowing exactly when to linger for the most dramatic impact. Thanks to these skilled screen vets and an exceptional cast lead by the daring Cotillard TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT is an affecting look at the human spirit and the power of family.

4 out of 5

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas