Regie:
James GrayCamera:
Joaquin Baca-AsayActeurs:
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas, John Ortiz, Moni Moshonov, Marion McCorry, Samantha Ivers (meer)Samenvattingen(1)
Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is een aantrekkelijke, maar depressieve jongeman die weer terug bij zijn ouders gaat wonen nadat zijn relatie is beëindigd. Zijn ouders zijn bezorgd om Leonard en koppelen hem aan Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), de lieve dochter van een vriend van de familie, maar hun pogingen blijken niet aan Leonard besteed. Dan ziet hij op een avond vanuit zijn raam de mysterieuze Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow). Zij woont sinds kort in hetzelfde gebouw, in een appartement dat betaald wordt door een rijke man met wie zij omgaat. (Wild Bunch Benelux)
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Recensie (3)
I'm always surprised by what kinds of films can be hidden under the genre label of romantic comedy. In this case, Joaquin Phoenix is training for his role in Joker, or a man with unstable mental health. Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw are just opposites. It's not a gentle film, and there is nothing in it to make you laugh. It's a film from a collection of observations from life. It’s very realistic in terms of the situations and in the life choices, and perhaps touchingly naive in the finale.
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Two Lovers is a slow, cold and in some ways very classically styled romance that deals not only with love, but also with suicide attempts, bipolar disorder and abortion. The tragedy of the characters consists in the awareness of how they are (in their own words) “fucked up”, in spite of which they want to be supportive of each other. However, it will be difficult for two unstable individuals to carry on a relationship. Gray uses long, drawn-out shots that give us enough time and space to penetrate the world of the troubled protagonists. That is not easy to do, as the film combines the linear development of the story with variations of certain situations (with one girlfriend, with another girlfriend, with Leonard in a manic phase, with Leonard in a depressive phase), so in places it may seem that the narrative is not going anywhere. I appreciate the fact that today someone has the courage to shoot mature dramas that the viewer has to meet halfway, though I also understand why there are not more films likes this in America today than there were in the 1970s. We have become accustomed to unpretentiousness and working with allusions, and it is thus more difficult for us to get in tune with such a style. 75%
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A ninimalistic (setting, location, music) intimate drama with character actors (best one being Vinessa Shaw) and an average plot. James Gray has a talent for developing personal connections and somewhat manages to stay on the track of realism. Based on the trailer, I expected more genuine emotions and fewer positive moments, but in the end, it was exactly the opposite. It’s still a well-thought-out piece, expressed clearly, and the plot is presented comprehensibly, in a sufficiently dense form. Definitely a rising trend.
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