In Two Days, One Night, the Dardenne brothers combine the mythical structure of an epic quest, with the social commentary that has become their trademark. When the film opens we meet Sandra (Marion Cotillard), a young mother returning to work on a Friday, after a leave of absence who learns her co-workers have voted to have her dismissed in exchange for a hefty pay bonus. Encouraged by her friend Juliette (Catherine Salée) she strikes a deal with her boss (Baptiste Sornin); they will cast a secret vote on Monday, giving her the whole weekend to convince her co-workers to vote for her.
“I’ll look like a beggar” says Sandra to her husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongione), who reminds her they need her paycheck to survive. The plot unfolds as we follow Sandra from door to door, pulling off a heartbreaking smile, explaining her case and then quietly waiting as her co-workers reach their decision. For every time she’s met with a sympathetic response, she often has to hear people tell her “they didn’t vote against her, but for their bonus”. With each visit, Sandra seems more dehumanized, less interested in going on...but the Dardenne brothers aren’t interested in turning her story into an exploitative character study, in fact they grant Sandra small moments of mercy that can’t help but make her plea even more harrowing.
Instead the Dardenne’s seem to be pointing out the false sense of security that comes with democracy, pointing out how a vote system can dehumanize those who seem weaker when compared to monetary gain. Their microcosms of a film, perfectly, scarily even, turns into a course in socioeconomics that makes us wonder how much is our dignity worth? In order to humanize their case study even more, the Dardenne’s have for the first time employed a bona fide movie star in the face of Cotillard, who expertly sheds all traces of glamour and star power, to become a human being we might encounter in the streets.
It’s interesting to think for example, how little a one thousand Euro paycheck would matter to Cotillard the actress, but for Sandra, it becomes a matter of life or death. Cotillard, who has rarely been this moving, seems to be able to shift sizes onscreen, shrinking during moments when Sandra feels most threatened, and growing whenever she’s allowed to flash her beautiful smile. She’s too good of an actress to let the filmmakers turn her into nothing more than a symbol. The urgency in her performance makes Two Days, One Night take on the form of a thought-provoking thriller.
