MARION COTILLARD is no stranger to appearing in block-buster films, but Two Days, One Night is a chance to see her in a very different role, in this superb, low key, French film.
Sandra (Cotillard ) works at a solar plant, but faces a dilemma: her work colleagues have been offered a bonus payment, but they also have a choice - the bonus can only be justified economically if there is a redundancy, so either they take the bonus and see Sandra let go, or they forgo the bonus and Sandra keeps her job. There is also another agenda at work - the reason her employers want Sandra gone is that she has suffered bouts of depression in the past.
Sandra then spends the next two days on a desperate journey among her colleagues to persuade them to forgo the bonus and let her stay. Some support her, others need the bonus as much as she needs her job. What will the final verdict be? Two Days, One Night is an effecting, and engrossing film, with Cotillard capturing Sandra's apprehension, anxiety, and hope, with great subtlety and understanding. See it when it is shown in the Town Hall Theatre on Tuesday January 15 at 8pm.
The film is presented by First Fortnight, a charity which challenges prejudice against mental health through arts and cultural action, in association with IFI National. Tickets are from the Town Hall (091 - 569777, www.tht.ie ).
