Cotillard’s character was someone the Dardenne brothers had been thinking about for a full decade, before the financial crisis hit. They really began to develop the film a few years after the financial meltdown occurred, when the long-term social and economic impact was much more visible. That was when they decided to make a film where the fate of Cotillard’s character is dependant on her colleagues’ willingness to endure a collective sacrifice. Though the filmmakers actually contrived the premise for the film, it was soon reported that months after the film’s Cannes premiere, three companies in Belgium and France had subjected their employees to a choice similar to the one seen in the film.