Two Days, One Night

[projekktor id=’17068′]

Two Days, One Night is a is a Belgian drama written and directed by the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc. The film, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, stars Marion Cotillard as out-of-work Sarah and Fabrizio Rongione as her supportive husband.

Sandra (Cotillard) has just returned to work after recovering from an illness. Realizing that the company can operate with one less employee, management tells Sandra she is to be let go while the remaining employees will each receive a bonus. Over the course of a weekend, Sandra, often with the help of her loving husband (Fabio Rongione), races against time to convince each of her fellow co-workers to sacrifice their much-needed bonuses in order for her to keep her job. With each encounter, Sandra is brought into a different world with unexpected results while her fate hangs in the balance.

Since making her breakthrough in Hollywood with La Vie en Rose, Cotillard’s career has taken off. But she never thought her success would lead to her working with the Dardennes. “I know that working in the US would open doors to certain filmmakers for me. But the Dardennes? I couldn’t even imagine it… they don’t usually work with actors like me. Cécile de France worked with them on The Kid With a Bike, but she’s Belgian and her appearing in their universe was less astonishing than me doing the same. So it was a real surprise they contacted me, and an absolute joy.”

Two Days, One Night is rated PG.