Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are the primary heirs to the traditions of neorealism and other stripped-down modes of filmmaking working in international cinema today.
“Two Days, One Night” finds them in classical form save for the catch of working with a movie star, Marion Cotillard.
It observes human behavior under duress from a naturalistic perspective, showing us Cotillard’s Sandra as she visits co-workers over the course of a weekend to ask them for their support after their boss offers a referendum up for a Monday vote: choose a bonus or let Sandra keep her job.
Cotillard is a great fit for this; she’s an accomplished conveyor of dignity in downcast figures. In its low-key fashion, the film presents an interesting moral dilemma.
The premise is just impossible to accept, making it pretty clear that the Dardennes have never held a “real” job. There’s simply no way that any company would torpedo itself by allowing this situation and the movie can’t be taken seriously because of it.
