Torn between... (Two Lovers (DVD))

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Two Lovers (DVD)
Date:	04/07/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good script, great acting, well directed

Disadvantages: Touch slow, slighly difficult subject

(Film review only)

Here's a bit of a sleeper that was surprisingly well done. Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard Kraditor, a bi-polar young man whose fiancé left when they found out that both carried the gene for Tay - Sachs disease. Leonard is now living with his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Israeli comedian, Moni Moshonov), and gets set up with the Jewish, quiet, steady and single Sandra Cohen (Vinessa Shaw). Sandra is the daughter of the man who Leonard's father is brokering a business merger with (nothing fancy, just Dry Cleaning). Just after Sandra and Leonard establish that this might be something worth looking into, Leonard meets, and is immediately attracted to, his new neighbor Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is the exact opposite of Sandra - not Jewish, erratic, neurotic and in a toxic relationship with a married man. This is the basis for the appropriately named film "Two Lovers".

What makes this movie into something a bit more than your usual romantic drama is Leonard's relationship paralleling his bi-polar disorder. Michelle represents his manic stages while Sandra's quiet suppression points up Leonard's depressive side. Moreover, Sandra admits to Leonard that it was her idea for their parents to set them up, while Michelle is obviously "not that into" Leonard except as a friend. Leonard can't deny he wants more from Michelle, even as he's stringing Sandra along. Finally, the other parallel is that Leonard is a photographer, but only takes black and white pictures. Plus, until the Cohens ask him to be the photographer at their son's Bar Mitzvah, only took pictures of scenery. The movie takes you down these paths in Leonard's life, and shows just how different he is with each of these women. As a whole, the script works very well as a character study, and uses the metaphor of opposites in Leonard's life very skillfully. While the ending is partially predictable, there's enough of a twist to keep it from being a disappointment and leaves the viewer with enough questions in their minds to make you think about everything you've seen.

With blockbuster names like Phoenix and Paltrow, one would have expected this to be a widely distributed film. However, this is a far more artistic piece of film, and has done the rounds of the film festivals since its release in at the Cannes festival in May 2008. But writer/director James Gray seems to be building his fledgling career on just such movies, and he seems to be attracting big name actors who are probably looking for something less "Hollywood" where they can stretch themselves, artistically. I personally feel this is a shame, since although this may not have a huge commercial appeal; it certainly is a movie worth watching on many levels.

Phoenix taps into a whole other side of his acting ability here, showing that his award nominated role as Johnny Cash wasn't a fluke, and that he's at his best without the rivers of blood, heavy action, or villain parts. The sensitivity combined with physical quirks he brings to bi-polar Leonard is even handed and carefully crafted. Mind you, the script slightly falls down in that we don't see him go off the rails after he's stopped taking his medication, as a real manic-depressive would do. However, we realize that perhaps his condition isn't as severe as it could be, since as the movie opens, we see him jump off a pier in an attempt to drown himself, but then change his mind and go back to the surface and ask for help. This inner tussle is hinted at later in the film, when he's on a date with Sandra and she gets an accidental glimpse of scars on his wrist. Sandra's reaction is a perfectly executed mixture of mild shock, knowing and understanding, but clearly without pity. This shows Sandra had heard about Leonard's problems as something in the past, but wasn't given all the gory details. But the scars themselves are those done in what looks like a half-hearted attempt, with one scar looking furtively small. This gives rise to both a carefully thought-out script and an artfully directed piece that shows much more than it tells.

Paltrow also shows a more complex character than many she's been given previously, with a Michelle being someone both not terribly smart, and not very stable. Michelle seems to know this about herself, and yet she vacillates between feeling helpless in how she's screwing her life up and indulging in behaviour that she knows is destructive. It seems she's not sure if she can stop herself from ruining her life, so she pretends she doesn't care about the consequences of her actions. Moreover, we are led to believe this as a comfortable pattern for Michelle, and subconsciously, she probably likes being the victim.

The remainder of the cast has been carefully directed and there's an overall evenhanded feel to the movie, which lends itself nicely to the atmosphere, even as it contrasts with Leonard's and Michelle's instability. Moreover, the minor characters don't feel in the least bit flat, and we get a good feel for all the various relationships. Visually, Gray has gone with mostly muted colours and dusky lighting which reflects the chilly winter season that the action takes place in. He even pulls this into the more festive scenes such as the one at the club where Michelle takes Leonard, by using mostly blue (i.e., the colour of sorrow) lighting.

In all, this is a fascinating movie. Well written and directed, with all of the cast (and in particular the "big names") giving both credible and noteworthy performances. While the subject matter isn't the easiest to take, there's nothing maudlin or sentimental here, mostly because its conclusions are essentially, inconclusive. Plus, there's enough going on throughout to keep our interest, even if there were a couple of spots that felt a bit slow. While this may not get noticed by the Academy Awards or the BAFTAs, this movie will get you thinking. Then, after you've left the theater, its different layers will slowly start falling into place. I'd say this film is worth a solid four stars out of five and recommend you look for the DVD to rent, since I don't think you'll find it in the theatres anymore.

Thanks for reading!

Davida Chazan © July 2009

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Technical stuff:

The official websites for this film can be found at http://www.twolovers.co.uk/ and http://www.twoloversmovie.com/ and on IMDb at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1103275/

The DVD will be available as of August 10 at Amazon for £9.98 and will be available for rental through lovefilm.com using the following link: http://www.lovefilm.com/learn/product.html?product _id=118491

This is already being sold on NTSC format through the Amazon.com for $16.99.

As I saw this in a movie theatre, I cannot tell you what extras are on the DVD, and neither Amazon.com nor Amazon.co.uk seem to have any extras listed. The only other thing I can tell you is that this movie is rated R in the USA and has a classification of 15 in the UK.
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Summary: Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow star in James Gray's newest drama