Two Lovers
Review
by Anthony Morris
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Two Lovers |
It's love triangle time with Two Lovers, as Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) returns to New York and his Jewish parents after a relationship break-up.
That,
together with his bipolar disorder, has left him occasionally suicidal
- which doesn't help when he finds two women vying for his heart.
Well, maybe "vying" isn't the right word.
Sandra
(Vinessa Shaw) is the nice Jewish girl his parents set him up with,
only it doesn't take much reading between the lines to notice that she
was the one with her eye firmly on him even before his parents played
matchmaker.
Problem is, his new neighbour Michelle
(Gwyneth Paltrow) has caught his eye, and he finds himself increasingly
drawn to her despite the fact she's currently having an affair with a
married man and might just be a little too fond of the drugs.
Director
James Gray manages to keep a fairly straightforward love triangle tale
interesting with a story that's frayed at the edges.
Not
everything here actually means something, so there's plenty of elements
you might expect to turn into something more that just end up being
part of the texture of their lives.
Phoenix gives yet another compelling performance, while both female leads make an impact.
Unfortunately
towards the end the rails the plot is running on start to become
obvious, and the conclusion becomes clear almost three or four scenes
to early.
But this is a film that's as much about mood
and tone as it is how the romance ends up, and on that level this will
stay with you long after the final scene. 4 out
of 5
Two Lovers
Australian release: 4th June, 2009
Official
Site: Two Lovers
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Moni Moshonov
Director: James Gray
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