Oscar winner Marion Cotillard has a history of delivering strong performances in unconventional projects. Two Days, One Night happily seems to continue that trend. The film, and Cotillard’s acting in particular, was very well received at Cannes, where it debuted in competition earlier this year.
And now the UK trailer for Two Days, One Night has arrived. Cotillard stars as Sandra, a woman who returns to work after struggling with depression, only to learn that she was laid off when her co-workers chose to give themselves bonuses at the expense of Sandra’s job and its accompanying salary. The trailer shows how Sandra deals with this devastating news: she initially refuses to accept it, then embarks on a weekend-long journey to convince her former colleagues one by one to sacrifice their bonuses in favor of preserving her job. It’s certainly an original premise, and the threat of unemployment is of course a timely one.
Two Days, One Night is directed by brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and will be released on August 22nd in the UK. The French-language drama will make its US premiere at the 2014 New York Film Festival (September 26-October 12).