When you hear “Dardenne brothers” and ” Marion Cotillard “, you think you are going to see a very psychological movie that will leave you heavy with mixed feelings. Here, it is surprising because you get out of the theater with the feeling that one should never give up. It is actually a “feel good movie”. Marion Cotillard is rather used to tearjerker roles, parts of strong women who stand against adversity. In this film, her character “Sandra” is depressed, fragile and for once, fights without great conviction to keep her job. The film does not fall into pathos because Sandra will learn to pick herself up.
The script and directing are extremely simple with lots of close-ups and on-board cameras, so that the spotlight is made on the actors and the authenticity of the story.
The Dardenne brothers, like Audiard by whom they met the actress, are great at directing actors. Thus, as in ” Rust and Bone ” Marion Cotillard delivers one of her best performance.
The film is quite effective because it succeeds to embark you little by little in her quest. Although the film could have been a sort of catalog of emotions and reactions shown through the different demands of Sandra, it manages to avoid to be too mechanic. It even created a dramatic dimension that unites you to her battle and makes you want her to succeed. This is a film about solidarity, about you and your morality at work and in life. The film pushes its characters to face up and look at themselves in the mirror. In parallel, it also focuses on the struggle of Sandra with her own demons, the rescue of her marriage and the handle her fragile mental health. In short, this film feels good because it shows that despite the gloom of those years of ” crisis,” people are not all ” rotten ” or only concerned about themselves. Also, that you have tons of reasons to despair and often only but reason to hope and that is the one that you have to hold on to. The key to happiness is in courage and hope. Hope we are going to make it even though you are struggling the hard way. Deciding to stand up and fight is actually already winning. This is a lesson you can take with you after leaving the theater.
