Two Days, One Night
Two Days, One Night (French: Deux jours, une nuit) is a 2014 drama film written and directed by the Dardenne brothers, starring Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione.
Two Days, One Night | |
---|---|
![]() French theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Luc Dardenne Jean-Pierre Dardenne |
Produced by |
|
Written by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Alain Marcoen |
Edited by | Marie-Hélène Dozo |
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[1] |
Country |
|
Language |
|
Budget | €7 million |
Box office | $9 million[2][3] |
It competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[4] It won the Sydney Film Prize at the 2014 Sydney Film Festival, was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, nominated for two César Awards and for nine Magritte Awards, winning three, including Best Film and Best Director for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The film was selected as Belgium's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated, though Cotillard received a Best Actress nomination for her performance in the film, making her the first actor to be nominated for a Belgian film.[5][6]
Plot
In Seraing, an industrial town near Liège, Belgium, young wife and mother Sandra prepares to return to work at Solwal, a small solar-panel factory, after a medical leave of absence for depression and anxiety. During her absence, Solwal management realises her colleagues are able to cover her shifts by working slightly longer hours and proposes a €1,000 bonus to each if they agree to make Sandra redundant. On Friday evening, after Sandra hears the news and that only two of the 16 voted for her to stay, she breaks down, feeling hopeless and worthless.
Her husband, Manu, tries to lift her spirits. A co-worker friend Juliette, who voted on her behalf, convinces her to talk to M. Dumont, the Solwal manager. Sandra is too petrified to speak, but Juliette argues her case. Juliette tells him some of the workers felt pressured to vote against Sandra by the factory foreman Jean-Marc, who insinuated one job must be eliminated. Though hesitant, Dumont agrees to a second, secret ballot early Monday.
Realising that her fate rests in the hands of her co-workers, Sandra must visit each of the 14 over the course of the weekend to persuade them to reject the monetary bonus, and she faces an uphill battle to keep her job before the crucial vote on Monday. Most of her co-workers are counting on the bonus for their own families. Some of her co-workers are immigrants and some are already working second jobs to get by; most react with sympathy, but a few with anger. Sandra is crushed when a co-worker she considered a friend pretends not to be home, but is heartened by the few who support her and say they will vote for her. Timur, an immigrant from Dagestan, breaks down in tears and says he is ashamed of himself, as Sandra covered for him when he broke a panel on his first day. He says he will change his mind and talk to another worker on her behalf.
On Sunday afternoon, Sandra discovers that Jean-Marc has been calling their co-workers to convince them not to change their votes, and that in reality he is against Sandra coming back because of her depression. She visits her co-worker Anne, whose husband rudely throws her out and screams at both women. Dejected, Sandra attempts suicide at home by overdosing on Xanax, but when Anne arrives to tell her she will vote for her, Sandra confesses to Manu, who forces her to vomit the pills up. Sandra recovers at the hospital and is touched when she finds out Anne came to the hospital too. Sandra tells Manu they will visit the remaining three that evening. When Anne tells her she has decided to leave her husband, Sandra invites her to their house to spend the night.
Sandra speaks to Alphonse, a young African immigrant who is working as a welder on contract. He will only get €150 because he is new, but he is afraid of Jean-Marc, who told him to vote against Sandra if he wants to get along with his co-workers. Alphonse tells her he wants to vote for her, but he's afraid Jean-Marc will find out and write him up for his mistakes, which could damage his chance of renewing his contract when it expires in September.
On Monday morning, as the Solwal workers vote again, Jean-Marc reacts angrily to Sandra. She stands up for herself and reminds him that he acted unfairly. In the second ballot, eight vote for her to keep the job, and eight vote to keep the bonus – not enough to overturn Friday's vote. She tearfully thanks those who voted for her, including Alphonse. She tells Anne she can stay at their house again that night and stoically clears out her locker.
However, Dumont calls her into his office and congratulates her on convincing so many to support her. He tells her he has decided to give everyone the bonus but still keep her on. Sandra's joy is short lived as he explains he will simply not renew a worker whose contract expires in September – Alphonse. Sandra politely declines his offer – she now has the confidence to start anew, and pursue a new life for herself. "We put up a good fight," she tells Manu proudly.
Cast
- Marion Cotillard as Sandra Bya, working-class wife and mother of two children
- Fabrizio Rongione as Manu Bya, Sandra's husband who works as a chef
- Catherine Salée as Juliette, Sandra's friend and co-worker
- Olivier Gourmet as Jean-Marc, Sandra's supervisor at Solwal
- Christelle Cornil as Anne, Sandra's co-worker
- Timur Magomedgadzhiev as Timur, Sandra's co-worker
- Myriem Akheddiou as Mireille
- Pili Groyne as Estelle, daughter of Sandra and Manu
- Simon Caudry as Maxime, son of Sandra and Manu
- Batiste Sornin as M. Dumont, manager at Solwal
- Serge Koto as Alphonse, welder at Solwal
Production
The film was a Belgian production with French and Italian co-producers. It was produced by Dardenne's Les Films du Fleuve with co-production support from France's Archipel 35, Italy's BIM Distribuzione and Belgium's Eyeworks Film & TV Drama. It received funding from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund, RTBF and Centre du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel.[7] It received 500,000 euro from Eurimages.[8] The total budget was seven million euros. Filming began in late June 2013 in Seraing, Belgium and was wrapped in September 2013.[7]
Release
Two Days, One Night premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2014. The film was released in France on 21 May 2014 through Diaphana, and in Belgium on the same day through Cinéart. It was screened at the Sydney Film Festival on 9 June 2014 and at the Munich Film Festival on 29 June 2014. It was the closing film of the Norwegian Film Festival on 20 August 2014.[9] The film had its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on 29 August 2014[10] was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2014,[11] at the New York Film Festival on 5 October 2014,[12] at Hamptons Film Festival on 10 October 2014,[13] at the Mill Valley Film Festival on 11 October 2014[14] and at the Chicago Film Festival on 16 October 2014.[15] It was the opening film of Valladolid Film Festival on 18 October 2014[16] and was screened at the Savannah Film Festival on 28 October 2014.[17] and at AFI Fest on 7 November 2014.[18]
The film was released in the United Kingdom via Artificial Eye on 22 August 2014. Sundance Selects distributed the film in the United States on 24 December 2014.[7]
Reception
Two Days, One Night received critical acclaim after its premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Cotillard's performance was highly praised and earned a 15-minute standing ovation.[19] The film has an approval of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 182 reviews with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Another profoundly affecting work from the Dardenne brothers, Two Days, One Night delivers its timely message with honesty and clear-eyed compassion."[20] The film also has a score of 89 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[21]
Empire gave the film five out of five stars and described it as "a rare film of unforced simplicity, with an outstanding lead performance".[22] Empire also chose Two Days, One Night as one of the 50 best films of 2014, ranked at number 44.[23] The Hollywood Reporter praised the film and stated that it stands alongside Marion Cotillard's best work.[24]
The film won the Sydney Film Prize at Sydney Film Festival "For its masterfully elegant storytelling, its dedication to a fiercely humanistic, super-realist worldview, its brave, essential commitment to community solidarity, and its celebration of a woman's power and vitality," said Jury President Rachel Perkins.[25] Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the film 5 stars, praising in particular Cotillard's "supremely intelligent performance."[26]
Nicholas Barber of BBC gave the film four stars, praising Cotillard's performance saying that "she conveys a tremendous amount with the smallest, quietest gestures. When you see the fierce, tearful grin on her face after one successful encounter, and the sleepwalking shuffle she adopts when her depression threatens to engulf her, it’s plain that she is one of the finest cinema actors we have."[27] Emma Dibdin of Digital Spy gave the film four stars, calling Cotillard "fascinating to watch" and said that "The physical sluggishness and emotional numbing of depression have seldom been better portrayed on screen, and yet Two Days One Night still emerges as a psychologically delving and quietly uplifting modern-day morality play."[28]
The National Board of Review chose the film as one of the Top 5 Foreign Films of 2014.[29] Time ranked Cotillard's performance in the film as the fourth best performance of 2014, shared with her performance in The Immigrant.[30]
In Spain, filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar made a list of the best films and performances of 2014, and included Cotillard's performance on his list of best foreign actresses.[31]
Accolades
On 19 September 2014, it was announced that Two Days, One Night would be Belgium's submission for the foreign language film category at the 87th Academy Awards.[32]
Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards[33] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
British Academy Film Awards[34] | Best Film Not in the English Language | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Belgian Film Critics Association[35] | André Cavens Award for Best Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Boston Online Film Critics Association[36][37] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won | |
Top 10 Best Films of 2014 | Two Days, One Night | Won | |
Boston Society of Film Critics[38] | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard (shared with her performance in The Immigrant) |
Won | |
Cannes Film Festival[39] | Palme d'Or | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated |
César Awards[40] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best Foreign Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Chicago Film Critics Association[41][42] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards[43] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Denver Film Critics Society[44] | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards | Top 10 Films | Two Days, One Night | 7th Place |
Best Director | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated | |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won | |
European Film Awards[45] | People's Choice Award | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Screenwriter | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated | |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won | |
Georgia Film Critics Association[46] | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won | |
Globes de Cristal Award | Best Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
50th Guldbagge Awards[47] | Best Foreign Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Hawaii International Film Festival | EuroCinema Hawai'i Award – Best Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Houston Film Critics Society | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
Indiana Film Journalists Association[48] | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Indiewire Critics' Poll[49] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won |
International Cinephile Society Awards[50] | Grand Prix | Two Days, One Night | Won |
London Film Critics Circle Award | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Lumières Awards | Best French-Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Magritte Awards | Best Film | Two Days, One Night | Won |
Best Director | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Won | |
Best Screenplay | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated | |
Best Actor | Fabrizio Rongione | Won | |
Best Supporting Actress | Christelle Cornil | Nominated | |
Catherine Salée | Nominated | ||
Best Sound | Benoît De Clerck and Thomas Gauder | Nominated | |
Best Production Design | Igor Gabriel | Nominated | |
Best Editing | Marie-Hélène Dozo | Nominated | |
Munich Film Festival | ARRI/OSRAM Award – Best International Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
National Board of Review | Top 5 Foreign Films | Two Days, One Night | Won |
National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard (shared with her performance in The Immigrant) |
Won |
New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won |
North Carolina Film Critics Association[51] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Picture | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Director | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated | |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
Best Original Screenplay | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | Nominated | |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Won | |
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards[52] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Won |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
San Francisco Film Critics Circle[53] | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best International Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Sydney Film Festival | Sydney Film Prize | Two Days, One Night | Won |
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards[54] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
Best Foreign Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated | |
Valladolid Film Festival | Golden Spike | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Village Voice Film Poll[55] | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard (shared with her performance in The Immigrant) |
Won |
Utah Film Critics Association | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Runner-up |
Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Runner-up | |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Two Days, One Night | Nominated |
Women Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | Nominated |
See also
References
- "TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- "Deux Jours, Une Nuit – Box-Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- "Deux Jours, Une Nuit – JP's Box-Office". JP's Box-Office. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- "Cannes 2014 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- "Oscar 2015 Nominee List and Ballot" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- "Academy Award nominations for Marion Cotillard and "Song of the Sea"". Belga News Agency. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Two Days, One Night (Deux Jours, Une Nuit)". Screenbase. Screen International. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- Rosser, Michael (26 June 2013). "Dardennes begin Two Days, One Night shoot". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- "Two Days, One Night to end the main programme in Haugesund". filmfestivalen.no. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- "Telluride Announces 2014 Lineup: Reese Witherspoon in 'Wild,' 'Birdman' and Ramin Bahrani's '99 Homes' Among Highlights". Indiewire. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- "TIFF 2014 – Two Days, One Night". tiff.net. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- "NYFF52 Main Slate – Two Days, One Night". Film Society of Lincoln Center. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- "Two Days, One Night – Hamptons Film Festival". ticketcentral.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Mill Valley Film Festival features lineup of Oscar contenders". SFGate. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Two Days, One Night – Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Los hermanos Dardenne abren la Sección Oficial de la 59ª Seminci". seminci.es. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- "Savannah Film Festival – Two Days, One Night". filmfest.scad.edu. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "AFI Fest 2014: Marion Cotillard stars in 'Two Days, One Night'". dailynews.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "One Month Later: Reflections on the 2014 Cannes Film Festival". redandblack.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Two Days, One Night (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "Two Days, One Night". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- "Empire's Two Days, One Night Movie Review". Empire Magazine. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Empire: 50 Best Films of 2014: Two Days, One Night". Empire Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "'Two Days, One Night' ('Deux Jours, Une Nuit'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "SFF 2014 Official Competition winner". sff.org.au. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- "Cannes 2014 review: Two Days, One Night – Marion Cotillard magnificent in Dardenne brothers' latest". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Review: Two Days, One Night lets Cotillard shine". BBC. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Two Days One Night review: Marion Cotillard in moving drama". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "National Board of Review Announces 2014 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Time – Top 10 Best Performances of 2014". Time. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Pedro Almodóvar elige lo mejor del año 2014". ecartelera.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Belgium enters Dardennes to Oscar race". 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- "Oscars 2015: Nominations list". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- "Film in 2015". BAFTA. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- De Clercq, Charles (19 December 2014). "La présélection de l'UCC et le prix Cavens". Cinécure (in French). Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- "2014 BOFCA Awards". bofca.com. Boston Online Film Critics Association. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- "Boston Online Film Critics Awards". awardsdaily.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- Knegt, Peter (7 December 2013). "'Boyhood' Leads Boston Critics Awards". Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- "2014 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- "César 2015 : les nominations". AlloCiné. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ""Birdman" Leads 2014 CFCA Nominations". Chicago Film Critics Association. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- Gire, Dann (16 December 2014). "Chicago critics pick 'Boyhood' as best 2014 film". Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- Whale, Chase (15 December 2014). "DFW Film Critics name "Birdman" as top film of 2014". Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- "DFCS Names 'American Sniper' 2014's Best Film". 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "European Film Awards: 'Ida' Best Picture; Timothy Spall, Marion Cotillard Top Actors". Deadline. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- Reel Georgia (5 January 2015). "Georgia Film Critics Reveal Nominees for 2014 Awards". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Svenska Filminstitutet (8 January 2015). "Nominerade". guldbaggen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- "Indiana Film Journalist Association Awards winners 2014". Indiana Film Journalists Association. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Indiewire 2014 Year-End Critics Poll". icsfilm.org. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "ICS has Mommy issues – International Cinephile Society". icsfilm.org. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- "2014 NCFCA Award Nominees". ncfilmcritics.org. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "2014 San Diego Film Critics Circle Award nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "2014 SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS AWARDS:Full List of Nominees". San Francisco Film Critics Circle. 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "St. Louis Film Critics Nominations". Hitfix. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Marion Cotillard Wins Twice in Our 2014 Film Critics' Poll". Village Voice. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
External links
- Official website (in French)
- Two Days, One Night at IMDb
- Two Days, One Night at Box Office Mojo
- Two Days, One Night at Rotten Tomatoes
- Two Days, One Night at Metacritic
- Two Days, One Night: Economics Is Emotion an essay by Girish Shambu at The Criterion Collection