Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Two Days, One Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 28, 2015

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's latest film, "Two Days, One Night" a.k.a. "Deux jours, une nuit" (2014), arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original U.S. trailer for the film; new video interview with the Belgian brothers; new video interviews with actors Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione; the documentary film "When Leon M.s Boat Went Down the Meuse for the First Time"; new video essay by critic Kent Jones; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"I wanted to ask if you would vote for me?"

Marion Cotillard is Sandra, a mother in her thirties who has just discovered that she is going to lose her job in a small factory -- unless she convinces her co-workers to give up the bonuses their boss has promised to them and have them vote for her in a public ballot so that she can continue to be part of their team. Sandra has the weekend to do so.

The feeling that she can lose her job and with it the home she and her husband, Manu (Fabrizio Rongione, The Kid With A Bike, L'enfant), and their children are currently living in makes Sandra feel so sick that she can barely stand on her feet.

Manu is a little more optimistic than Sandra. He tells her that her co-workers will back her up -- despite the fact that they have already voted in a secret ballot and have chosen the bonuses – and they will be able to keep their home. All she needs to do is meet them and explain what the job means to her.

With time running out, Sandra compiles a list with the addresses of her co-workers and soon after begins knocking on their doors.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s latest film was inspired by real events that occurred during and after the global economic crisis of 2007-2008. One such event -- where workers’ solidarity was challenged in a series of events similar to those chronicled in the film -- mentioned by the Belgian directors in a new video interview included on this release occurred at the Peugeot plant in Montbeliard.

The film chronicles Sandra’s painful encounters with her co-workers and the wide range of reactions they inspire. It is, however, completely free of melodrama -- Sandra asks them to put themselves in her shoes and once they give her their answer she walks away. There is no time to discuss "what if" scenarios. Her co-workers aren’t willing to discuss such scenarios with her either.

The finale is predictable, but in a way it is made irrelevant. The film’s message -- which is that in the current global economy there is hardly any room left for workers’ solidarity -- is effectively delivered a lot earlier.

Cotillard is extraordinary as the young mother who is stripped of her dignity and eventually forced to question whether life is worth living. The body movement and especially the facial expressions are incredibly convincing. There are some sensational cameos as well. See the sequences with Timur Magomedgadzhiev (the soccer coach) and Philippe Jeusette (the car mechanic).

The Dardennes shot the film with their regular cinematographer, Alain Marcoen (La Promesse, Rosetta). The specific framing and camera movement give the film a distinctive documentary feel. Rather predictably, music is not used to enhance the already very tense atmosphere.

Earlier this year, Two Days, One Night was selected to represent Belgium in the Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards.

Two Days, One Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Two Days, One Night arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This film was shot with an ARRI ALEXA digital camera, and the entire production was completed in a fully digital workflow. Supervised by director of photography Alain Marcoen and approved by directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the final color-corrected DPX files were output to Rec. 709 high-definition color space for Blu-ray and DVD.

Color supervisor: Alain Marcoen.
Colorist: Raphaelle Dufosset/Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France.
Facility: Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine."

The film looks terrific in high-definition, but this is hardly surprising considering the fact that it was shot with the ARRI ALEXA camera. When there is an abundance of natural light detail and clarity are enormously impressive, but even the darker footage looks exceptional. Many of the close-ups literally look like digital photographs (see screencapture #2 and 5). Colors are rich and stable. Overall image stability is outstanding. I did some direct comparisons with Artificial Eye's Region-B release of the film, but I could not see any discrepancies to report in our review (compare screencaptures #1 and 12 with screencaptures #1 and 3 from our review of the Region-B release). The two technical presentations are excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Two Days, One Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have a prominent music score. There is no impressive surround movement either. There are some random sounds and noises, all of which are exceptionally easy to identify, but the sound design is very simple. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Two Days, One Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Two Days, One Night. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne - in this new video interview, directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne explain what inspired them to shoot Two Days, One Night (the novel La misere du monde, which was written under the supervision of Pierre Bourdieu, and Francois Bon's novel Daewoo), and discuss the main dilemmas Sandra faces in the film and her relationship with her husband, the real social situations people face today and how some company owners avoid unionization, the production process and Marion Cotillard's performance, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in April 2015. In French, with optional English subtitles. (52 min, 1080p).

• Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione - in this featurette, Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione explain how they prepared to play Sandra and Manu and discuss the difficult choices their characters are forced to make. The interviews with the two actors were conducted exclusively for Criterion in early 2015. In English and French, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (23 min, 1080p).

• On Location - in this featurette, directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne return to some of the key locations used in Two Days, One Night and explain how various sequences were shot. (Split-screen comparisons are included). The featurette was filmed exclusively for Criterion. In French, with optional English subtitles. (37 min, 1080p).

• When Leon M.s Boat Went Down the Meuse for the First Time (1979) - presented here is the Dardenne Brothers' second documentary film, which takes a closer look at the general strike that paralyzed Belgium in the winter of 1960. (It was one of the last big general strikes in Western Europe). Included in it are clips from interviews with people that participated in the strike as well as archival footage showing some of the demonstrations and clashes. In French, with optional English subtitles. (39 min, 1080i).
  
  1. The future of the militant
  2. The river and the worker
  3. Revolution through the camera lens
  4. The phantom of the victim
  5. The call of the boat

• The Dardennes on Leon M.'s Boat - in this new video interview, the Dardenne brothers discuss their early documentary films, their relationship with Armand Gatti (who inspired them to become filmmakers), the impact various political events had on their career and work, the shooting of When Leon M.s Boat Went Down the Meuse for the First Time, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in April 2015. In French, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 1080i).

• To Be and I - in this new video essay, critic Kent Jones discusses the reality in which the protagonists in the films of the Dardenne brothers exist and the theme of hope that is present in all of them. The essay was created exclusively for Criterion. In English, not subtitles. (9 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Girish Shambu.

Two Days, One Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are no surprises here -- Two Days, One Night is yet another fantastic and thought-provoking film from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. It offers a slice of a troubling reality we are all familiar with. The film arrives rather late on Blu-ray in the United States, but Criterion's upcoming release includes a fantastic selection of new supplemental features with the Belgian brothers in which they discuss in great detail their latest film as well as their early documentary shorts and career. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.