Two Days, One Night

Note: Originally written in January 2015.

They say the best form of acting is not acting at all. Reasons for statements like these become clear when you watch movies like these. This is because we're so used to acting coming in two forms, one which is generally of the mainstream Hollywood variety that ranges from reasonably believable-okay to terrible awful; and two is the method acting genre ala Daniel Day Lewis which has slowly turned out to be the only way actors can prove themselves. But then, you see a movie like this, and you see Marion Cotillard's other works (Rust and Bone, Little White Lies) and you begin to realize the third kind. Whilst in her other works, one might find her portraying a strong character at odds with conditions around her (both in 'Rust' and 'Lies'), here, she plays a timid, vulnerable and docile young wife and mother of two who has to convince a bunch of her colleagues to vote against a bonus and in favor of her keeping the job. She steps into Sandra's skin so effortlessly that her tears speak nothing else than desperate longing for help, and her smiles reek of consolations found in troubling times. Then, there's the interesting premise of the movie itself - a string of human interactions placed in a very apologetic context for both sides, that could get as easily cruel as they could be beautiful and pleasant. Shot mostly in very long single takes, with hardly any background score, "Two Days, One Night" is a gem of an Indie flick!

Catch more on the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd.