THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE: Denys Arcand's sweet and juicy anti-Capitalist fairy tale may be his best film yet

TrustMovies will have to wait until he's seen this film a second time before definitely calling it Denys Arcand's best (the writer/director is shown below), but it is certainly and immediately up there near the front of his pack -- which includes The Barbarian Invasions, The Decline of the American Empire, Jesus of Montreal, and the woefully under-seen and under-appreciated Stardom.

When, in the very first scene of a film, you find yourself agreeing with every single idea and word out of a character's mouth, even though it soon becomes clear that this guy is a loser par excellence, you know you are in very good hands.

So, just sit back and enjoy the remaining two-hour ride. These will be some of the best, most ironic and enjoyable, delectable, thought-provoking 120 minutes you can imagine -- filled with robbery and loot; a gorgeous, high-class hooker (with not just a heart of gold but a very bright mind); and various and assorted subsidiary characters, each of whom will be worth your time, your possible political awakening, your chuckles, and occasionally (particularly toward the end) some surprisingly moving moments.

THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE is a kind of fabulous fairy tale of how, with proper guidance, one can use some of the sleaziest tools of Capitalism in order to achieve one's goal of providing for the underclass. But who, other than writer/director Arcand, could have imagined that this trip would be quite so much fun? The journey begins with our hero, Pierre-Paul -- a naive, caring, but none-too-bright young hunk (played by the splendidly cast Alexandre Landry, above, left) -- about to lose his current girlfriend/bank employee (Florence Longpré, above, right).

From there, Pierre-Paul soon comes into contact with an enormous amount of stolen cash, and soon after with that aforementioned hooker (played with the perfect combo of looks, smarts and feeling by Maripier Morin, above), whose online professional name Aspasie, inspired via Racine or maybe Marivaux, entices our hero something fierce.

From that point on, we get everything from gangland torture (Don't worry:There a happy ending there, too) and a police investigation (by the twosome, above, Maxime Roy and Louis Morissette, left and right respectively) in which the cops are given a bit richer and more interesting characterization that we usually get) to a recently-released-from-prison former criminal trying to go straight but quickly sucked into these ever-more-interesting proceedings (Arcand semi-regular Rémy Girard, below),

and finally, perhaps the most interesting character of all, a high-level jack-of-all-trades investment entrepreneur (Pierre Curzi, at right, below) whose knowledgeable help regarding offshore workings is also required. How these folk bounce off each other personally and professionally makes for a most entertaining and thought-provoking ride.

There are also the homeless, of whom we see a certain amount (finally -- with quite an interesting jolt -- at the very conclusion) and for whom this entire caper has been set in place. As usual with M. Arcand, we are treated to ideas about morality and how to achieve it, hypocrisy and how to use it, and how Capitalism might even work -- were it Socialism that was actually calling the shots.

Sure, it's a fairy tale -- albeit a lovely, funny, adeptly-plotted one -- and so, after all, a sad little tease. But in these fraught and frightening times, what else do we have?

For its funny, sexy, highly original seduction scene alone, The Fall of the American Empire would be a don't-miss (there are a dozen other good reasons to see it, too).

Oh -- if it's the American empire that's falling here, how come the entire film takes place in Canada? Well, that's just a part of the ineffable Arcand charm.

From Sony Pictures Classics and running a surprisingly swift two hours and seven minutes, the movie opens here in South Florida this Friday, June 28, at the Coral Gables Art Cinema in Miami, the Regal Shadowood and Living Room Theaters in Boca Raton, and the Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth. Wherever you live around the country, click here, then scroll down to find a theater near you.

Marion Cotillard shines in the Dardenne brothers' ultra-progressive film, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

There could hardly be a better time for a movie like TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT to appear. That it was bypassed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' shortlist for this year's Best Foreign Language Film is ridiculous. But, hey, that's Hollywood. (Bring back The Blacklist, boys!) Its tale -- of an employee at a solar-energy manufacturing facility who is suddenly down-sized by her bosses via a vote taken by her co-workers on whether they will receive a large Christmas bonus in lieu of the employee's holding on to her job -- is a near-perfect look at the joys and rewards of Capitalism in the workplace. What that employee, Sandra -- a fierce and fragile performance by the wonderful Marion Cotillard (above and further below, in pink) -- decides to do about her situation makes up the heart of this unusual movie.

One of, and maybe the best of the films to come from the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (shown at right, with Jean-Pierre on the left), the movie taps into so much that the western world is experiencing today regarding employment, family, health (mental and physical) and the idea of Socialism vs Capitalism.

After the initial shock of the news abates, Sandra's husband and her best friend/co-worker urge her to demand another vote (the first one appears to have been rigged by a boss who intimated that if the crew voted to keep Sandra, another of them might be downsized). The remainder of the movie details Sandra's search for her co-workers over a weekend spent urging, cajoling, asking and hoping for their support.

If all this sounds a bit predictable, the result is anything but. Responses from the co-workers run the gamut. That bonus of one thousand Euros is nothing to sneeze at, and some of the workers need the money rather desperately. Yet each situation is different, and its result often surprising.

Among the most moving is Sandra's meeting with an employee (newcomer Timur Magomedgadzhiev, above) to whom she acted as mentor. Another, taking place in a laundromat at night, reveals as much about the situation of Sandra's co-worker as it does her own situation. Some meetings lead to anger and, in one case, violence.

Through it all Sandra's husband (played by Fabrizio Rongione, above) encourages and helps his wife along. She certainly needs this for, as we soon learn, Sandra has had a severe bout of depression, for which she was given a leave of  absence from work.  There are times throughout the movie when viewers may wonder just how capable Sandra is of actually doing her job.

It is greatly to the Dardennes credit that they don't hand us characters who fall easily or completely into heroes and villains. Best of all, they let us see and understand how Capitalism works to undermine the worth of the individual by keeping everything focused on profit, while ensuring that the workers fail to see their situation from a collective perspective.

In the process the Belgian brothers may have created a new kind of genre -- one especially appropriate for our times -- the "employment thriller." What will happen to Sandra's job takes on increasing suspense, and the outcome may surprise you. It and its movie go beyond mere good and bad, happy or unhappy endings, to confront the entire situation in a manner more subtle, thoughtful and humane.

Two Days, One Night -- from Sundance Selects/IFC Films and running a brisk 95 minutes -- opens this Wednesday, December 24, in New York City at the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinema, and in Los Angeles at in the Los Angeles area at Laemmle Theaters, beginning January 9.