Like Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the Dardenne brothers are no strangers to picking up prizes at the Cannes Film Festival - they've won the Palme d'Or twice for Rosetta and L'Enfant. Their latest film, Two Days, One Night, was, however, pipped to the post this year by Winter Sleep. Marion Cotillard stars as Sandra, a factory worker returning to work after suffering a nervous breakdown who discovers that her co-workers are to vote on whether or not to sacrifice their annual bonus so that she can keep her job. Desperate to remain in employment, she spends the weekend visiting her colleagues trying to persuade them to give up their bonuses. The Dardennes are no strangers to social commentary (their background is in documentaries) and Two Days, One Night is no exception - this is a compassionate and timely examination of the effects of financial austerity on the average person, with a compelling naturalistic performance from Cotillard and her largely non-professional co-stars.
