Two Days, One Night - much like the Dardenne’s previous film, The Kid with a Bike - is not an easy one to access; to be honest right off the bat here, it is a rather laborious and boring affair.
Marion Cotillard, the first non-Belgian actor the Dardenne brothers have ever worked with, plays Sandra. She is back at work after a bout of depression and one Friday a ballot is held by her co-workers - her fellow employees are forced to vote for their bonus or for her to keep her job. She convinces her boss to hold a new ballot on the Monday, giving her the weekend to convince her colleagues to change their minds.
Now, she has sixteen colleagues; two have already agreed to vote for her to stay, so that is fourteen people to visit – and, well, we see them all (just about). Despite different settings, answers and reactions from her co-workers this is, predictably, somewhat repetitive. Deliberately so, no doubt.
The concept is an interesting one (and is based on real life events that the Dardennes heard about in France, Belgium, Italy and USA) and brings up some great themes about altruism, ethnic minorities, depression, and poverty in the twenty-first century. It shows how Capitalism can create the worst kind of individualism, from the boss who sees no other way than a profit-over-people mentality, to the co-workers who vote for a woman to lose her job so they can get an extra 1000 Euros. While the latter seems monumentally selfish to me, the film stays objective in many ways with these individuals arguing; “It’s a whole year’s energy bills” and “I am the sole bread winner”. It is the boss who has given them this horrible choice, so they wash their hands of it.
Its slow and deliberate pace, with documentary-like cinematography, and naturalistic acting works well. Cotillard – despite some crying scenes that felt a bit forced - is a strong lead, juggling her character’s depression and feelings of guilt perfectly. She feels like a beggar, as if she is actively taking the 1000 Euros out of her colleague’s pockets.
Two Days, One Night is an admirable film, it really is, and it is nowhere near bad. However, as sometimes is the case with independent/art house films, the makers forgot – after all the thought, philosophy, and talent that goes into it – to make the bloody thing entertaining.
Two Days, One Night will be shown at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 4 September 2014.
Two Days, One Night trailer
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