Simply A Masterpiece

Better Late Then Never

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I mainly found out about this Belgian-French-Italian film because of the leading actress being nominated during awards season, I had no idea what it was about, I was just hoping for something worthwhile, directed by brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne (Rosetta, The Kid with a Bike). Basically in the industrial town of Seraing, near Liège, Belgium, Sandra Bya (Oscar nominated Marion Cotillard) is a young wife and mother to two children, she works for Solwal, a small solar- panel factory. After suffering a nervous breakdown, Sandra has been forced to take time off from her job, on medical leave for depression. During Sandra's absence, shop foreman and her immediate supervisor Jean- Marc (Olivier Gourmet) suggests to the boss, M. Dumont (Batiste Sornin), that her section of the company can function with sixteen people working full time with a bit of overtime. The management proposes a €1,000 bonus to all staff if they agree to make Sandra redundant, near the end of her medical leave she returns to work and discovers that her fate rests in the hands of her sixteen co-workers. Sandra's friend and co-worker Juliette (Catherine Salée) learns a "show of hands" vote was held, the result a 13-3 decision for the bonuses over Sandra's job, Juliette knows Jean-Marc is determined to get rid of Sandra. The vote was influenced by scare mongering through misinformation, but Juliette and Sandra at the end of the Friday working day are to convince Dumont to hold another secret ballot on Monday morning. Sandra needs a majority to keep her job, meaning nine votes, by Saturday morning, Sandra's supportive husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongione) convinces her that over the weekend she should speak to all thirteen of her colleagues who voted for the bonuses to get them to change their minds. They not only need the income from Sandra's job, but Manu believes the job is a symbol for Sandra, to prove her own self worth and for her mental state. Sandra reluctantly goes about this task, visiting and finding her colleagues one by one, most of the co-workers however need the proposed bonus for their own families. Finally it comes to Monday morning, the factory workers have a second ballot, but the vote is tied, with eight votes to keep the bonus and eight for Sandra to leave, as a result, Sandra will lose her position. However, the factory manager calls Sandra into his office, he agrees to give her a job, but in the end, she decides to turn it down, Sandra has found the emotional strength to deal with the situation and the confidence to start anew, to pursue a new life for herself. Also starring Pili Groyne as Estelle, Simon Caudry as Maxime, Alain Eloy as Willy, Myriem Akheddiou as Mireille, Fabienne Sciascia as Nadine and Timur Magomedgadzhiev as Timur. I can see why Cotillard was nominated the Oscar, she gives it her all as the ordinary working-class woman coming out of depression now on the edge trying to keep her job, it is a fairly simple humanistic story, the majority of which is just the leading character knocking on doors and talking to her co-workers about whether they will change their mind or not, but it is interesting enough to keep you hooked until the end, a worthwhile drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Very good!

Before seeing the French domestic drama "two days, one night" I was only cursorily familiar with Marion Cotillard's work. I am now richly informed.Likewise, little did I know that a movie about a blue collar wife and mother battling to keep her job as a rank and file factory floor worker could be enrapturing entertainment. Guess what? It can.Cotillard is completely credible in this Oscar-nominated performance as Sandra. She strikes nary a false note in a riveting turn as a woman struggling with severe depression as she strives to convince fellow employees to ditch their coveted bonuses so that she may continue to earn a living for her family and not be forced to take government handouts "on the dole". The fact that Cotillard, though a true natural beauty, went without any apparent make up for the bulk of the film only served to enhance the stark urgency and utter desperation inherent in her enormously daunting mission.And there is another aspect of "two days, one night" that especially appealed to me personally. As a big rock music fan, I found it delightful that the Belgian Director tandem of brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne chose to include in their production a pair of scenes which cleverly communicate the inherent spirit and emotion of the genre in very different manners. The pair of classic songs featured from legendary pop and rock icons Petula Clark and Van Morrison instill a sense both of pathos and frivolity into the complex fabric of this chronicle examining the fight for human dignity and destiny.Never one to surrender the specifics as regards an ending, I will simply impart that "two days, one night" arrived at a conclusion that is at once as reasonably realistic as it is distinctly hopeful.Or to put it another way......Success and satisfaction do not always come to us in the forms in which they are pursued.

I heard nothing about Two Days, One night before I decided to check it out on Netflix, and I must say that this is one of the best foreign films I have seen in a while. Actually it's just one of the best films I've seen in a while.Two Days, One night tells us a story of a woman's desperate attempts to persuade her co-workers into making a very important decision that determines her future. The story focuses on human nature and our ability to give something up for someone we barely know. It feels incredibly intimate and human throughout and there were times where the emotions were so raw that I kept forgetting that I'm just watching a film. It felt so real and I really wanted to see this character succeed, mainly because her character was so well acted. The plot is very simple but there is a wavering sense of unpredictability and even tension as we watch this desperation-fueled journey unfold. The main plot line sets off many little strings of other interactions that I would never have saw coming, making this a unique and highly enjoyable first viewing.The acting all around was fantastic. Our main character, played by Marion Cotillard, was emotionally broken and this actress did an amazing job showing it. She covered so much range in her performance that I simply could not keep my eyes off her, for more than just the obvious reason. She was excellently formed as we constantly see her entire demeanor and mannerism change after every character interaction. She reacted realistically in a way that made me feel very immersed within the film's story and narrative. I greatly wanted to see this character succeed at her goal, and if she had not been as well acted, I definitely would not have cared as much. Another great thing about Two Days, One Night, besides the excellent acting, is that we can all relate to it's personal and socially accurate storytelling.Our character is seen asking many individuals to make quite a large sacrifice. The great thing is that we all know what this feels like. So we can place ourselves in the shoes of either character and feel incredibly attached to the story. This constant feeling of immersion and realism felt absolutely perfect and there was not one second where I felt like the film dragged or included an unnecessary scene. I enjoyed every second of it and I really didn't want it to end. But when that time did come, it felt extremely satisfying and understandable. There was no complex enigmatic riddle to solve or deep metaphor with infinite possible meanings to interpret. The ending was just as meaningful without any of these things. I thoroughly enjoyed Two Days, One Night. It tells an interesting story that could very well happen to anyone. It was involving, emotionally raw, and just fantastically human.

I've read review after review and cannot believe that essentially the only issues/complaints about this film are with regard to the (slow) pace. It isn't the fastest moving film, but I don't think that detracts from it, nor do I take issue with the acting (which I think is very good overall). The story itself is certainly unique.....Here are my problems with the film --- I have a hard time with the story itself. Is it from living in the US? The idea that a company would let it's employees decide the fate of another worker is absurd to me. It's not fair to anyone and serves as a morale killer (as witnessed in the film). It sets employee against employee and certainly does not necessarily benefit the company. It made the film a bit difficult to watch. Yes, Sandra needs her job...but so does everyone else! Why, as the viewer, should we be pulling for her? I just didn't "feel it". When, at the end of the film, Sandra says "we put up a good fight", I wanted to scream. What fight??!! You didn't go up against a huge corrupt union or a multi-billion dollar company, you went door to door making your co-workers feel uncomfortable and trying to guilt them into losing their bonuses. And her husband. Some reviews refer to his "support" of Sandra. In my mind, he comes off as a non-participant at best and reckless at worst. He doesn't do anything but drive her around and push her when she wants to stop....even after she tries to kill herself! After that (and based on her shaky mental history), he should have said "no more".I guess the assumption is that finding another job is not easy in this small town (?), but it's certainly an option...but it is not even mentioned until the very end. It might have made the film less frustrating had the viewer thought "well, finding another job is next to impossible". Maybe if you live in Belgium, this is more obvious? Perhaps.As much as I appreciated it on certain levels, the film ultimately frustrated me.