While I am not the biggest fan of foreign language films, I am the first to admit that when a foreign movie is excellent, you get to the point where you don’t even notice you are reading subtitles anymore. You become so gripped by the film that it’s not just a great foreign film you are watching…but rather it’s a great film. However, on the flip side, when a foreign film is terrible, it tends to drag and drag and drag. I think part of that reason is that you’ve tuned out the movie so much that you have no idea where you are in the film when you do glance back. As a result, it becomes a dreadful movie experience. I feel that almost all foreign films I watch are based on recommendations. Rarely will I be perusing Netflix and seeing a movie and adding it to my queue because it’s a “foreign movie.” I am far more likely to eliminate a film in subtitles than I am to entertain it. As a result, I rarely find a foreign film to be mediocre. I usually end up either liking the movie a ton of feeling like I just wasted two hours of my life. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, and that is exactly what Two Days, One Night is. It is a movie that is mediocre in every sense. It had nothing to do with it being a foreign film. Had it not had subtitles, it would have been equally mediocre.
This movie, which earned Marion Cotillard (Inception, Contagion) a Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award nomination, didn’t do very well at the American Box Office (just $1.7 million domestically). Still, it did resonate with the critics (97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). While Cotillard’s performance was good and was my sole reason for watching this film, I didn’t think it was one of the five best performances of 2014. While 2014 was a down year in this category, I still think Jennifer Aniston’s performance for Cake was much more deserving. Cotillard’s performance was not bad; it just was not one of the five best.
The story is as simple as a story as you’ll find. Sandra (Cotillard) has been released from her job after an extended stay at a hospital, where she receives treatment for depression and anxiety. The married mother of two worked at a small Belgian solar panel factory when she learns that she is being laid off, effective immediately. While Sandra was away from her job, her boss realized he could meet his same production schedule with one fewer employee, and since Sandra has had the highest rate of absenteeism due to being sick, she is the obvious choice. So he puts it up for a vote with the other 14 employees. In exchange for their vote to release Sandra, each employee is promised a bonus. However, the group’s foreman pressures the group to take the bonuses. Frantically, Sandra finds her boss before he goes home for the weekend. After some back and forth, he tells her that if she can get the majority (9 out of 16) of the others to change their vote by returning their bonuses, he will give Sandra her job back. Unfortunately, only two of the 16 voted to keep Sandra employed at the first vote.
So the movie is really about Sandra going to each of these 14 other people over the course of the weekend and pleading with them to change their vote. In itself, that isn’t very exciting. And, in all honesty, it was as drab as that at times. But other times, it was compelling. I thought the movie did best was showing the internal struggle that Sandra encountered when every part of her wanted to give up but instead had to swallow all of her pride and beg these people to change their vote. She understands what they would be giving up, and it’s tough to ask them to give something up that she might not be willing to do if in a reversed situation.
All in all, this was a very average film. You would do well in picking something other than this to watch.
Plot 6.5/10 (I’m okay with storylines that don’t crush your mind, but this was even too simple for me)
Character Development 7.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 7/10 (nothing out of the ordinary…Cotillard’s performance was overrated)
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 7/10
Cinematography 8/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 8/10
73.5%
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