Marion Cotillard is
exceptional.
I was expecting
dreary French cinema for tough critics and depressed audiences, but this one
has a near-comical twist to it. A woman who is about to lose her job has to go
from door to door to persuade her co-workers to vote for her staying and not
for a hefty bonus they will get in case she leaves.
But do hang on. Nothing
comical about the circumstances. She absolutely has to keep her job for her
family to survive, she has just gone through severe depression and overall
France looks nothing like Paris.
There are two moments
of catharsis here. First, when you hear Van Morrison’s “Gloria” desperately sung
in a car. Second, the bittersweet ending that seems inevitable, depressing,
joyful.
