Two Days, One Night is an excellent movie if you’re in the right frame of mind to see it. You must be patient, well rested and ready for subtitles otherwise you will be distracted and find it monotonous. I watched it immediately after watching a particularly rousing episode of Game of Thrones from Season 7 Episode 4 so I was not an ideal viewer and gave it another shot four days later, which improved my perception of the film.
Two Days, One Night is a fictional film that strives to take on a documentary quality, a fly on the wall viewpoint. The directors cast an internationally known actor instead of an unknown as the star of the film despite striving for realism. On one hand, this move helps increase ticket sales because the star will attract viewers who may not be interested in this type of film, and as a bonus, the film benefits from having an experienced and talented actor. On the other hand, you may also get the exact type of viewer that you don’t want-someone who will be angry that this film is not like the ones that the star ordinarily appears in.
Fortunately Two Days, One Night’s star is Marion Cotillard, who always gets meatier roles outside of the US, so her European fans will not be disappointed by her pared down, naturalistic performance. Still the film poses other narrative challenges for a viewer. The movie is about a wife and mother who must convince her factory coworkers to give up their bonuses so she can keep her job. The title refers to a weekend: the amount of time that she has to campaign for their vote and convince them not to vote in favor of their financial self-interest. Many scenes feel repetitive as she looks for then talks to her colleagues throughout the weekend with moments of transit or repose with her supporters, which includes her husband.
This woman is not a seasoned politician, but a woman compelled by desperation to be vulnerable and bold while facing other Herculean challenges that would make the simplest, most introverted tasks difficult to achieve. It is an intimate slice of life film that focuses on a single character, but also acts as a microcosm of and a commentary on society as we see her interact with individuals who represent every Cotillard anchors the film. The suspense lies in discovering who these people are, what they are like and how they will respond. The film slowly reveals details about them based on what they do on weekends, where they live and who knows where they are.
The other actors’ representation of the coworkers’ reaction to her request provides the variety and reveals plenty about their characters’ background and how it may be representative of a larger dynamic in society. There is economic disparity even though they have the same job. Economic anxiety can be financial insecurity, but it can also be a cover rooted in family dysfunction, misogyny or intolerance against disabled people. Also if the worker is allied with the union, not management, or comes from a more vulnerable socioeconomic background, they are more likely to empathize with her situation.
Two Days, One Night will only be rewarding for viewers who have the capacity to pay close attention to these moments that feel natural, but are actually highly stylized and staged to mimic. Two Days, One Night is not Norma Rae. While it is a film that addresses lofty socioeconomic issues, it never loses the intimacy of one person interacting with another and the gravity of that moment as opposed to our usual, disposable, meaningless pleasantries among coworkers.