Movies > Reviews

Tomorrow is uncertain

Leave a comment

In their seemingly simple film Deux jours, une nuit (2014) and in sharp sunlight the Dardenne brothers show a young woman fighting for her job: Sandra. We see a middle class family: husband and wife both have a job, a car, a Delaney home and kids. Having two incomes is no luxury. But assistance benefit, having to leave the house: decay is in the offing. During the weekend, Deux jours, une nuit, and screwing up her courage Sandra visits her 16 colleagues: Monday, when you have to vote for 3 extra hours and a bonus or for me keeping my job, will you, please, vote for me?

There appear to be voters in favour and voters against. Some are equally threatened as Sandra and her family and try to maintain their living standard with side jobs. Some slam the door in her face. But others allow something rare to happen: they feel ashamed for not having stood up for her earlier. Others bargain where bargaining is not just: “only if I can keep my job”, or “I need the money for a terrace behind my house”.

In 1998 Richard Sennett wrote a crystal clear book, with a predictive value: The Corrosion of Character, The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism. In the Ethics of Care as a political Ethics the term ‘precariousness’ is used to refer to processes creating insecurity in society: vulnerability and insecurity are social and political constructs. It is not that you are vulnerable, you are made vulnerable by politics from above. Sandra’s big boss considers himself to be very decent towards her. With the boss below him he did not stick to procedures, he set up workers against each other, and these workers have allowed this to happen. Indeed, personalities are corroded: who was close betrays, who really has something to lose becomes courageous and shows solidarity. Precariousness slowly brings about a watershed: those who are happy to be able to sleep quietly, those who understand they can remain strong and show solidarity. They can do without a terrace behind the house.

Deux jours, une nuit (2014). A film by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, featuring Marion Cotillard

About the author: Frans Vosman

Frans Vosman

Prof. dr. Frans Vosman studied moral theology and philosophy at Nijmegen University and did a doctorate on economical ethics in Paris and Rome. Professor Louis Vereecke was his promotor. He was engaged in medical ethics before he took interest in the ethics of care, at Tilburg University, where he was professor ethics of care. He held a chair ethics of care at the University of Humanistics, Utrecht. He was interested in combining conceptual and empirical ethics and in the fundamental political character of the ethics of care. Together with colleagues he did research in a general hospital about patients perspectives and research with regard to people with an intellectual disability. He focused on the ethics of care as a form of fundamental political ethics, He considered the connections with other forms of political ethics, with epistemology and political forms of phenomenology to be quintessential. Frans Vosman died in June, 2020

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.