By Pablo Vila

(Warning: Contains Spoilers)

In the Dardenne Brothers’ 2014 film “Two Days One Night” (Deux jours, une nuit), we are treated to a very personal, gritty drama which speaks to some of the challenges working families face in the world of today. Sandra, played by Marion Cotillard is a wife and mother who works at Solwal, a solar energy company in Belgium. She suffers from depression and after recently enduring a nervous breakdown is about to return to work. During Sandra’s absence, there were discussions amongst management about her ongoing role at the firm. It was decided that her co-workers would vote whether the protagonist should remain employed or made redundant. The twist being that if the vote is in favour of Sandra staying, they lose an attractive financial bonus. The vote is to be taken on the coming Monday, Sandra’s first day back to work.

Sandra finds out about the situation from a co-worker and friend two days before the vote is to occur, sparking a frantic effort of contacting and visiting each of her 16 co-workers over the weekend, to convince them to vote for her to keep her job.

From the outset of the film we are launched in to the harsh reality of Sandra’s family life. Living in a small unit with two children, we see an average family who is struggling to make ends meet. The relationship with her husband is strained and their interactions are frequently interrupted with Sandra darting off to the bathroom to take her depression medication. Rudely having this work situation thrust upon her not only turns up the financial pressure on the family but requires an urgent action plan to contact work colleagues who by no means may be sympathetic, in fact the opposite.

Almost the entire film is dedicated to the visits Sandra makes to her co-workers. The slow pace of the film enables us to suffer with her as she travels across town to see each and every co-worker with no guarantee of a successful outcome.

While Sandra respectfully and tactfully pleads with each co-worker to vote for her to keep her job, we see responses range from the sympathetic and supportive to the rude, incoherent and even violent. What strikes us is how varied the responses are.  Some co-workers are almost brought to tears with compassion and are filled with indignation at Sandra’s situation. One visit results in a co-worker fighting with her outraged husband over the matter, whereas other visits highlight the deep discomfort and shame of the co-workers who quickly send Sandra packing. Finally some responses simply and unashamedly point to how the bonus will alleviate their own financial situations (not alluding at all to Sandra’s job loss as a result). There is an almost even split between those who support Sandra and those who do not.

This situation is distressing for everybody on the team, especially when each of their consciences (embodied by Sandra) comes knocking at the door. The question of why the company management makes this decision is never explored in detail. As the story rolls on, we have an increasing understanding of the treachery of the decision. Management was willing to put people’s desire for some extra cash against the loyalty of their co-workers to each other. We could easily be those workers, engrossed in our own busy lives and unwilling to think about how our decisions at work may affect others just like ourselves.

From an economic perspective Sandra would also appear to be an undesirable employee. Despite suffering from depression and being a mother of small children, her situation matters nothing to Solwal who are purely concerned with productivity and the bottom line. Could a more compassionate set of working conditions have prevented the situation from having being presented in the first place?

Despite the encroaching sense of tension throughout the film, Sandra is buoyed by the compassion and support of others whose contributions are invaluable to her confidence. Her husband, while cutting a frustrated and powerless figure, shows continued perseverance and understanding in a difficult situation. He often encourages Sandra to negotiate harder with the co-workers but never forces. There is a difficult moment of questioning of each other in the “we haven’t made love for a long time” dialogue, but we know her husband is treading carefully. His sacrifice for the greater good of the marriage is noble and shows his hopefulness as well as his commitment to the relationship. Sandra’s dogged perseverance rubs off on her husband and when she feels at the end of her tether, he is there to prop her back up.

At the final nerve-wracking hurdle of facing the Monday vote and the decision of her boss, a beautiful opportunity is given to Sandra. The support she has received on the journey, new friendships formed and empathy shown towards others in trouble awakens a confidence in her which makes her job situation seem less important. While the job situation does not play out as she might have expected, Sandra regains her humanity and our admiration and respect.