Two Days, One Night is a Belgian film directed by the Dardenne brothers. It tells the story of Sandra (Marion Cotillard), who works in a factory that manufactures solar panels. Management has told her fellow workers that they can have a bonus that year, but only if Sandra is laid off. They are to have the vote on this on a Monday. Sandra has one weekend in which to try to persuade her co-workers to reject their bonuses in order to save her job.
Two Days, One Night is reminiscent of the Italian neo-realist films with its simple, straightforward story and its non-condescending, non-romantic portrayal of working class people. It also benefits from strong performances, particularly from Cotillard, who is completely convincing as Sandra.
Although Sandra fails to save her job, this film ends on a quietly optimistic note, which is far more emotionally satisfying than the contrived “feel good” endings so many Hollywood films.
The Spanish Prisoner 
February 26, 2015 at 12:50 pm |
The Dardenne brothers are great.
I prefer them to Ken Loach, with whom they are often compared: lighter in tone, showing shots of lives and troubles that are very similar to people’s in other European countries, without the constant didactic message.
February 26, 2015 at 11:38 pm |
I liked ‘The Kid with a Bike’ very much. I think there is something to be said for Loach’s films, though.