
Sandra Bya, married with two children, has been off work from her job at Solwal on medical leave for depression. During her absence from work, her boss, M. Dumont, on the suggestion of her immediate supervisor, the shop foreman Jean-Marc, figures that her section of the company can function with sixteen people working full time with a bit of overtime instead of seventeen with no overtime, that seventeenth person being Sandra. Because of the global competition the company face... (Full plot summary below)
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Sandra Bya, married with two children, has been off work from her job at Solwal on medical leave for depression. During her absence from work, her boss, M. Dumont, on the suggestion of her immediate supervisor, the shop foreman Jean-Marc, figures that her section of the company can function with sixteen people working full time with a bit of overtime instead of seventeen with no overtime, that seventeenth person being Sandra. Because of the global competition the company faces, Dumont decides the company can only finance the annual bonuses for those sixteen employees, which are EUR1,000 per person, or Sandra's job, leaving the decision to those sixteen. On a Friday near the end of her medical leave, Sandra learns of this situation from her friend and co-worker Juliette after the "show of hands" vote is held, the result a 13-3 decision for the bonuses over Sandra's job. Because Juliette knows Jean-Marc, who is determined to get rid of Sandra, influenced the vote by scare mongering through misinformation, Juliette and Sandra, at the end of the working day on Friday, are able to convince Dumont to hold another secret ballot on Monday morning, with Sandra needing a majority to keep her job, meaning nine votes. By Saturday morning, Sandra's supportive husband, Manu, convinces her that over the weekend she should speak to each and all of the thirteen who voted for the bonuses to get them to change their minds. The Byas not only need the income from Sandra's job but Manu believes the job is a symbol for Sandra of her own self worth, important now in her tenuous mental state. As Sandra reluctantly goes about this task, she finds that not only is she uncomfortable being in this somewhat confrontational situation, but that the people who voted against her have their own household conflicts over their own EUR1,000, which would keep some of them afloat financially. As the weekend progresses, Sandra will find if she is strong enough emotionally to deal with the situation.
Leave your thoughts about Two Days, One Night.
| Spirituality and PracticeFrederic and Mary Ann BrussatA triumphant drama by the Dardenne brothers about a heroine who demonstrates grace under pressure. |
| TheWrapAlonso DuraldeThe chasm of the wealth gap and the slow destruction of the middle class should matter to us all, and films like Two Days, One Night remind us of the human faces affected by corporate greed. |
| Film Freak CentralWalter ChawOne of the year's best, it's beautiful in its modesty, reminding me in an odd way of films of perseverance like Nights of Cabiria and Vivre sa vie. |
| Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyThat Two Days, One Night retains such an organic sensibility, even with a major star in the lead, is credit to both filmmakers and actress. |
| Washington PostAnn HornadayAs a parable on karma, capitalism and Darwinian corporate politics, Two Days, One Night can often feel brutal. As a testament to connection, service, sacrifice and self-worth, it’s a soaring, heart-rending hymn. |
| Miami HeraldRene RodriguezCotillard, who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, plays the character as a woman hanging on by the barest of threads. |
| Boston GlobeTy BurrThis is a small, compassionate gem of a movie, one that’s rooted in details of people and place but that keeps opening up onto the universal. |
| St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonCotillard gets so persuasively inside Sandra’s skin that it’s not at all surprising that this performance has earned her another Oscar nomination. And she does so without resorting to shameless, award-baiting grandstanding. |
| Q Network Film DeskJames Kendrickdoes not shy away from the harsh truths of life, ; but, at the same time, it seeks out and reveals hope and potential in every situation |
| The New York Review of BooksJ. Hoberman[Two Days, One Night features] Marion Cotillard in what may be the most self-effacing, yet bravura performance of the year. |