Two of Us

Beautiful film about a subject rarely talked about. Gay women who as they age still keep their love a secret. Always wonderful to see a movie about passion in later life. This is a very touching film and utterly authentic. I loved every moment.

"TWO OF US has a lean plot and Meneghetti manifests substantial efficacy in terms of calibrating the storyline without almost any redundancy, such as the metaphor of two young girls playing hide-and-seek, or the decisive ending that is more symbolic than narratively functional, it attests a filmmaker's remarkable sensibility, which is a sine qua non in this line of work. The two leads are fantastically played by two excellent veterans, Sukowa is an indomitable bulldozer and a ball of fire as the flinty Nina, who has everything at stake and Sukowa ensures that every word and action hit the mark, oh yes, she is that good. And Chevallier, she might be AMOUR-lite in handling paralysis, but when her wordless close-up beckons, she is as compelling as you can ever imagine." read my full with on my blog: Cinema Omnivore. Thanks.

"We could get a place. Just the two of us." Apartment neighbors Nina and Madeleine have hidden their deep and passionate love for many decades, but their bond is put to the test when they are suddenly unable to move freely between each other's apartments. France submitted Two of Us as their selection for best international film for the Oscars and many other awards shows. I hadn't heard much from others about it even after the Golden Globe nomination. I'm very impressed with the film. There's a lot to digest here in symbolism and concepts. Firstly, the acting is phenomenal. Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier are wonderful. Together they have a connection like no other. The feelings conveyed feel genuine so us as an audience can connect to each character. All of the characters are well developed, even the ones with less screen time. The story is a simple setup, but it finds ways to get a deeper meaning. It's slow to begin with and takes a little bit to actually get into. Halfway through the first act the issue regarding acceptance of sexuality is discussed. I'm glad that they recognize people, no matter what age, can go through the fear of coming out. Usually we don't see something like this with a person well into their 60s or older. Once the main conflict concerning Madeleine's health is introduced, the film just sails. The film finds ways to make this drama thrilling in a way. You don't know what is to come or the consequences of the characters' actions. My eyes were glued to the screen. Visually, this is beautiful. It's beautiful in how it looks and how the story is applied to these specific visuals. One interesting concept is the portrayal of time. We're first introduced to clocks and such, but it applies to the age of the characters and how much time, specifically Madeleine, may have left to live. They also explore this through sound design, mimicking the ticking of a clock. Another big aspect is symbolism through birds. I just think it's really amazing what they accomplished with metaphorical imagery. I would love to read the script and see how the messages were conveyed. The dialogue works very well too. I would love to see the other works the writers and director has made previously. Also the actors' previous work. I wish people would recognize this more because it is something really cool. The beginning does take a little bit to get into and there are some pacing issues throughout, but the film does fly by. Another watch might be necessary to fully understand everything on screen. But they really took the mise-en-scène to its fullest potential.

Nina and Madeline are secret lovers, both from a town in the South of France. They've been hiding their romance, which feels especially saddening as they are both in their seventies and should be living life as they choose. But there are as many complications and conflicts as lovers might face at any age, with the societal views on lesbian relationships causing additional pressures. The pressures lead to Madeline suffering a seizure. She can no longer speak, and therefore she can no longer tell her family about Nina. The story broadens into a look into the way Madeline's adult children view her - not as a person in her own right, but as a mother and wife who was there to serve. With her now unable to speak, they speak for her. The movie is beautifully shot, but the story was so engaging, I mostly forgot to notice this, which is the sign of a story well told.

Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier) are neighbors and secret lovers. They plan to sell Madeleine's apartment and travel together. Only Madeleine is having trouble coming out to her adult children, Anne and Frédéric. This movie has many long uncut scenes. It's an artistic choice from this first time feature director. The first noticeable use is the burning skillet. It's a very effective move especially when it denotes Nina's slowly building longing. This is more romantic and more tragic than any puppy love teenagers. It is a quiet emotional drama of devastating power. I might do a more tragic ending although this ending is very beautiful. Only, I would consider adding a slow dance scene to start the movie. This is the tragic beauty of true love.

The French film Deux was shown in the U.S. with the title Two of Us (2019). It was co-written and directed by Filippo Meneghetti. Barbara Sukowa portrays Nina Dorn, whose long-term lesbian lover is Madeleine (Mado) Girard. (Madeline is played by Martine Chevallier.) The women have remained closeted for all these years. They share adjoining apartments, so they can be together but not literally live together. Mado suffers a stroke, and the plot of the film follows from there. Barbara Sukowa is a famed German actor, and she is superb in her role. (In the movie, she's originally from Germany, so her accented French is not a problem.) I wasn't familiar with Martine Chevallier, but she is well known in France for both movie and stage acting. She and Sukowa have a true screen chemistry, which makes the movie even better. I enjoyed this movie because it gave a view of what it means to be closeted partners when you grow old. I felt a few of Nina's actions were uncharacteristic and not realistic within the context of the film. However, overall I found Deux to be very moving and powerful. We saw Deux as part of the wonderful ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Festival. (Virtual this year, but great as always.) Deux has a pretty good IMDb rating of 7.2. I thought it was better than that, and rated it 9.

Without giving too much away, the situation vividly depicted from shifting points of view in this lesbian version of 'Amore' - Sukowa a bundle of nervous energy, Chevalier hauntingly still - is likely to become increasingly common as the population ages.

... for this wonderful representation of two mature women in love. Emotional, and also fun! Thank you for this story ; thank you to the whole team; and thank you to the director for carrying such a project and caring about representation. Glad to see new filmmakers driven by such a strong sense of responsibility. Looking forward to watching your future movies, Sir!

An ageing couple, having guarded their relations over many years suddenly find themselves separated and unable to stay as one. Two sublime performances from the leading ladies make this an outstanding and powerful piece of storytelling to be savoured.

One of that seductive films in wich a smart script is served, with gentle elegance, by admirable performances. Rare chemistry between lead characters, splendid work of Martine Chevallier and Barbara Sukowa, magnificent exploration of nuances and flavors, intimacy and grace of a closed long term sentimental relation and a sort of intimacy real magnificent served scene by scene. Tensions and a stroke changing everything. A delicate subject and seductive art to explore it in profound manner. A film about love, apparences, emotions, feelings and two women making fundamental choice. And sure, about truth, to. So, most simple suggestion can be only to see it .