Abstract

It is controversial how Levinas understands the interrelation between the ethical and the political. In this article, I propose an interpretation of that relationship and then provide a reading of the film Two Days, One Night, written and directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, in order to enrich that proposal. Bringing into focus how a film expresses developments in philosophical thought is a delicate and subtle matter. I hope to show how a careful reading of the film and in particular the interpersonal, moral, and social dynamics that it exhibits can help us to see how, in a concrete setting, a rather abstract philosophical understanding of our engagements with others has social and even political implications.