Two Days, One Night (2014, dir. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)

The Dardenne brothers have created an understated gem.  It is a lyrical, neo-realist look at the life of a modern day French woman, Sandra (Marion Cotillard) who is faced with the prospect of losing her job at a solar panel manufacturing company.  Her fellow employees are given the choice of accepting a thousand euro bonus or keeping Sandra as an employee.  It is a daunting decision to make and the film demands the viewer question his or her own hypothetical decision in a similar situation.

Sandra is given the news on a Friday and has the weekend to visit her workmates and try to convince them to vote for her staying on the job instead of the bonus.  It is a fairly simple storyline but it is in this simplicity that the beauty of this film is discovered.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are known for bringing working-class characters to life in their films but typically use lesser-known actors.  Marion Cotillard, however, is a certified star and her performance is a complex, fantastically-realized creation.  Sandra suffers from depression but the illness is never a defining characteristic of her personality:  she is so much more than her affliction as any human being would be.  She is constantly depicted on the verge of going off- kilter in her constant anti-depressant pill-popping, but always somehow manages to maintain her dignity and clarity of intent.

Cotillard was nominated for best actress at the 2015 Oscars and deservedly so.  This is an unflinching, brave performance that is thrillingly realistic.  The scenes with the other employees are stirring and it is a joy to watch the variety of decisions and reactions of these diverse people.
The film doesn't offer any easy resolutions or pay-offs but it is a thoroughly rewarding cinematic experience.