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CIFF 2014: Miss Julie Review
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CIFF 2014: The Babadook Review

CIFF 2014: Two Days, One Night Review

by Taylor Sinople on October 9, 2014

Sandra, a working class Belgian woman (Marion Cotillard), has a single weekend to fight for her job and financial security after her boss convinces her co-workers to take a €1,000 bonus over keeping her on.

Tight, handheld camera work and a commitment to realism through long takes and imperfect but truthful compositions allow Cotillard, one of France’s most consistently stunning actresses, to thrive at a level of nuance we’ve missed from her other roles limited by quicker editing and pacing.

Would you save Sandra’s job, or take the money? “Two Days, One Night” presents a moral quandary to sixteen people and explores how they respond, representing the human spectrum of humanity. More important than whether these people are selfish or giving is how Sandra reacts. Cotillard is just fantastic hitting subtle notes of shame and frustration while her husband (Fabrizio Rongione) keeps her moving forward.

This enormously satisfying neorealist domestic drama exposes working class hardship without sentimentality and is The Dardenne Brothers’ most compelling film since 2005’s Palme d’Or winner “L’enfant.”

9 out of 10 points

Return to CIFF 2014 Coverage
Language

French, Arabic

Release

December 24, 2014 (USA)

Runtime

1 hr. 35 min.

Genre

Drama

Director

Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Cast

Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Phil Groyne, Simon Caudry, Catherine Salée, Batiste Sornin, Alain Eloy, Myriem Akeddiou,

(All Features), (All Reviews), Chicago International Film Festival 2014, Drama, Event Coverage, Features, Reviews
Alain EloyBatiste SorninCatherine Saléeciffciff 2014Fabrizio RongioneJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneMarion CotillardMyriem AkeddiouPhil GroyneSimon Caudrytwo days one night
Alain Eloy, Batiste Sornin, Catherine Salée, ciff, ciff 2014, Fabrizio Rongione, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Marion Cotillard, Myriem Akeddiou, Phil Groyne, Simon Caudry, two days one night
About the Author
Taylor Sinople
Taylor Sinople
Taylor is a Chicago-based writer and aspiring film historian. He is the editor here at TFP, and has contributed to a number of international publications such as Cinema Scandinavia, PopMatters, and Room 101 Magazine. He can also be found listening to podcasts, researching topics he has little use for, or running after a city bus.
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Catherine Saléeciffciff 2014Marion Cotillard
 
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Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a high school student in France, embraces unexpected self-discovery when she is attracted to Emma (Léa Seydoux) – an exuberant, blue-haired art school student. Over the period of several years, we witness the two womens’ passionate, explosive relationship. Exhaustive, draining, and controversial for its NC-17 level sex content, director Abdellatif Kechiche’s three-hour […]
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