Rent Two Days, One Night (2014)

Marion Cotillard is a class act - Two Days, One Night review by PT

A ballot to except a payrise or sack Sandra (Cotillard) has voted for her to be sacked. Sandra and a work colleague see the boss, who agrees that they can hold another secret ballot. Sandra has the weekend to try and convince her fellow workers to vote for her to keep her job, thus sacrificing their payrise.

Her initial reaction is , I'm invisible, I don't exist, just let them decide Monday, I'm going to bed. Sandra has a history of depression, and she pops pills throughout like hippies smoking blow in Woodstock. With her husbands encouragement though she goes to see her fellow workers to try and get the mandate in her favour.

Cottilards unconfident depressive is superbly acted, understated but so prominent simultaneously. Also brilliantly acted is the slow and subtle changes, culminating in a healthier Sandra for her efforts. Marion Cottiard is one fine actor.

avoid - Two Days, One Night review by CP Customer

Plot sounds interesting. It's not.She sees someone, asks them to support her, things get emotional. Then she repeats this. Again. And again. And again. We stuck with it, certain there would be a twist, but there wasn't. Dull dull dull. Une perte de temps: a eviter.

it's in french get over it - Two Days, One Night review by DS

As many people have pointed out this film is not high paced or demanding. It's about a worker who has been off sick and who has already been fired. She must find the strength to ask her colleagues to agree to her return, and to lose their bonus in the process.

I found it engaging, and Cotillard's acting is superb - her weakness and vacillations at the journey she must take, make her a very irritating heroine. The interest develops as she confronts her colleagues in turn, and their reactions to her request, which range from immediate acceptance and great sympathy to outrage and physical violence. The resolution of the story is unexpected and redemptive. This is a gentle film, and seemingly one for those not expecting fireworks.

By the way - subtitles are essential if you are hard of hearing like my husband, even when films are in english

Flat Social Drama - without the drama - Two Days, One Night review by CP Customer

I've been wanting to see this for a while, after all the five-star hyperbolic reviews on its release, so it was a real let down to have to actually sit through it. Dull, repetitive and repetitive, it follows Marion Cotillard as a factory worker who, over the course of a weekend, has to persuade her work colleagues to vote, on Monday, to forego their bonuses and subsequently let her keep her job - because management have declared that they can't do both. And so we watch her plod from place to place, ring doorbells, recite a plot recap and receive one of two answers with little variation. And then go on again. It all feels as if it's happening in real time, and there's no visual flair, no imagination or creative spark behind it. The entire film feels as if it's purposefully been drained of any drama or cinematic language, and the end result is deeply enervating.

Dardennes do it again - Two Days, One Night review by MS

I've always liked the very distinctive Dardenne brothers' style, and here Marion Cotillard lifts the film with a wonderful performance as the downtrodden factory worker fighting to keep her job. I like all the little touches of humdrum domestic life - making a dessert for her children, straightening their room - while she is engaged in such a gripping task.

To me the interesting part is the variety of responses of her co-workers, from unconditional support to insincere apology to open hostility, when she goes to each to beg them to forego their bonus and vote for her to stay at her job. Since the actors are a variety of ages, sexes and races, it's a real cross-section.

My only complaint is that it's perhaps 20 minutes too long, but I still found myself thoroughly engaged, and the ending is not a predictable American-type one.

A modern morality piece - Two Days, One Night review by SE

Good film. Scenario and characters credible in a nicely paced film. The difficult choice made by all the employees for reasons beyond their control made for a thought provoking watch.

an emotionally hard hitting, but excellent film - Two Days, One Night review by CP Customer

This film is really good but I found it emotionally quite difficult. I thought it was well shot and brilliantly acted. One thing didn't quite gel was the medical episode and recovery from it (not to give anything away).