spencergrande6 This film is about the economics of the economy, the impact on its workers and the inhuman decisions one has to make to survive. It is also kind of an exploration about recovering from mental illness, but not completely. Ultimately its about overcoming.Other than its insane premise, unbelievable in its all too mundane believability, it is a mostly pat story arch told with "realism" and a splendid performance from Marion Cotillard and not much more. It feels like the premise was concocted first and the characters (and by extension the mental illness) and ending tacked on to make it workable.

Vivek Shukla Marion Cotillard is one of the best french Actress and this movie purely reflect the reason why .Whenever Marion is doing a French Film she is something else , i totally adore her acting Skills Two Days, One Night is a very simple themed drama movie , but it's the masterful work of Marion , Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne , and everyone else related to this project that make this simple themed indie movie a Cinematic Art .I absolutely love the simplicity of this movie .A must watch for all Drama Lover .

sharky_55 Again this is another working class film situation in Seraing Belgium from the Dardenne brothers. This is emphasised not just in Sandra's situation, but in many of the co workers she visits one by one. It has all the Dardenne hallmarks; the tension and nervousness of the entire confrontation that Sandra has to go through with each person is magnified tenfold with the long takes that seem to take an eternity to reach the face to face, and an eternity for that answer we have heard before. They too need the bonus, they too are under financial strain. This is not quite Italian neo-realism, but we are well aware of the stress of the economic situation nevertheless. Where another film might cut into the door opening and the conversation starts immediately, here we must follow Sandra logically through tracking down her coworkers. Each inquiry is greeted by different reactions, but Cotillard remains the same. We all know this feeling, the pit in the stomach as you grow nearer to a dreaded conversation, wishing to not have to go through this.It is a wonderfully nuanced performance from Marion Cotillard. Even as the biggest actress the Dardennes have worked with yet, she becomes quite plain, quite troubled and vulnerable on the screen. She trembles with dreaded anticipation of yet another rejection, of another apology of needing the bonus, and we sympathise deeply. We see how she is wracked with guilt at having to force these decisions, how she knows how little they think of her, and how even littler she sees herself. There are hints of her competence and her kindness. There is a perfect moment in the car where her face creases up in a weary smile as her eyes well up with tears, and she grasps the hand of her husband. But there is little of these moments; the camera is unsentimental, offering no closeup reaction shots. Cotillard almost singlehandedly carries this emotion roller-coaster, where hope and despair see-saw wildly with each vote. There is clearly a financial incentive in keeping her position, but as we progress, we understand that for the depressed Sandra, it is more than just that. There is dignity at stake.Sandra does not want an abundance of pity or comfort. Opposite is her husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongione), who plays a useful (not entirely in the eyes of Sandra) role. While some might be able to empathise with Sandra's depression, others still will see themselves in the carer/significant other in Manu. It is a very familiar feeling, to have caring emotions turning into unwanted pity, to have words of encouragement ignored. Anyone who has occupied this character knows this. He is vital. As the film began to reach that vote count I thought there was little that could satisfy me in terms of a conclusion. Accept her back in and maybe a little predictable, a little sentimental. Cast her out into the waters and the whole crusade is rendered useless, a depressing and futile series of events. But the Dardennes pull it off; we learn so much of Sandra's character not just because she almost cannot bear to put such a burden of a decision on her coworkers (even the ones who dislike her), but because she is able to put herself in their shoes at the end. She is faced with the same dilemma and she reacts the only way that the Sandra we have seen would: with empathy. It receives added meaning and significance due to the last meeting in the laundromat, where we are introduced to a humble and gentle character in Alphonse , who like many of those before him is just looking out for his family. He does the right thing (in his, God's and the audience's eyes), and the Dardennes reward him and the audience by making Sandra do the right thing.

TxMike I am a very big Marion Cotillard fan, I consider her one of a very small handful of really great female actors working today. So it was quite a treat for me to see her in this movie. She is Sandra and while we don't get much back-story it becomes obvious as the movie unfolds that she has had some medical issues, mostly related to insecurity and depression, and has been off her job as a blue-collar worker in some sort of plant. The plant has been suing 17 workers so when she had to take a leave they had to do the job with only 16. However during that time they apparently found that they only needed 16, so Sandra didn't really need to go back to work when she was well.However Sandra and her husband, Fabrizio Rongione as Manu, really needed her extra income, they had two children and neither of the adults earned a lot of money. But there was a vote at work, if they hired Sandra back then there wouldn't be enough money for bonuses of about 1000 Euro for experienced workers.And that is what this whole movie is about, can Sandra over the weekend, two days and one night, convince her co-workers to take another vote on Monday and choose to let her stay on while they forego their bonuses. Sandra doesn't really want to go talk to each one but Manu urges her on, almost forcing her to do it. A big part of the story arc is Sandra growing in her confidence and learning to approach people constructively. We see that the mostly older workers sympathize with Sandra and are reluctantly willing to give up the bonus while the younger male employees get mad at Sandra for causing trouble. They want their bonus!While I enjoyed it because Cotillard really is that good, I also can see how many viewers could find the movie somewhat dull and tedious. It is a character study, mostly of Sandra but also of her husband and co-workers. The DVD from my public library has a good 'extra' where the actors discuss their roles and what the story means. SPOILERS: Monday comes and Sandra has done her best to get 9 votes needed out of 16 to keep her job. But it is split 8-8 and without a majority she is asked to clean out her locker. But the boss calls her in, he says when September comes he can let go a fixed term worker and re-hire her, but she says 'no' because she doesn't want someone else to lose their job because of her. She walks away, even with a small smile, she will seek work elsewhere.