"I'm just going to assume people who have money bore the hell out of the Dardenne brothers.
"The Belgian siblings have based their whole careers making movies about people who struggle, internally and externally, often making questionable decisions in order to get by just one more day. The heroes and heroines of their films are usually systemically oppressed, male and female cogs in a consistently stuck machine where the only way they can move slightly is if they get themselves a little dirty. Much like Norm's wife Vera on Cheers, the upper class is nonexistent in Dardenne films, but their looming presence is always hinted at.
"Even when the Dardennes don't completely venture into dark and uneasy territory, like they do with their acclaimed latest, Two Days, One Night, the struggle is always real. Once again shot in their trademark, neo-realist style, Jean-Pierre and Luc follow around Sandra (Marion Cotillard, who got a well-deserved, Best Actress Oscar nomination for this) as she spends the titular amount of time trying to convince co-workers to be on her side as she fights to keep her solar-panel factory job. The fragile Sandra is hardly a fighter; a vague, offscreen accident led to a nervous breakdown she still has yet to fully recover from. Still, with her ever-supportive husband (Fabrizio Rongione, who didnât get a well-deserved, Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this) pushing her to move forward, she keeps the crying jags to a minimum and sets out to corral supporters.
"The movie is a continuously riveting journey through the Belgian working class. As Sandra knocks on the doors of her various co-workers, we see some are more financially stable than others. Just like they've done in their previous films, the Dardennes never cast a judgmental eye on these folk. Even though they've been forced by superiors to consider kicking one of their own to the curb, they're still all in the same oppressed boat. Their jobs and livelihoods hang in the balance just as much as Sandra's, and she knows this.
"Even though this movie is set in an industrial town in Belgium, this movie speaks more to our stateside working class than any American film I've seen in years. I dare anyone who's had to scrape and scuffle to keep their nine-to-five not to sympathize with Sandra or any of the poor bastards who populate this flick. In its own weird way, this film, which definitely isn't as grimy or fatalistic as the Dardennes' previous work (cinematographer Alain Marcoen keeps everything sunny even though a dark, dismal cloud constantly hangs over this thing), is practically their most optimistic. Not to give anything away, the movie ends with Sandra having a reassuring phone call with her husband, virtually walking into the future with a strong smile on her face. I don't know how these bleak sons-a-bitches did it, but they made me happy for a character who I knew was going to be all right no matter what." ~ Craig D. Lindsey
No comments:
Post a Comment