Two of Us (2019) User Reviews (22)

The dangers of being closeted

[chong_an · 8/10 · 9 September 2019]

Living in apartments across the hall, Nina and Madeleine are technically neighbors and good friends, but they are secret lesbian lovers. Widowed Madeleine is not out to her adult children, so when Nina finds Madeleine collapsed with a stroke, her children (and the hired 24-hour caregiver) cut Nina out of Madeleine's life.

The bones of this story has been explored in Cloudburst. However, while Cloudburst is more humorous, this film is more heartfelt. Good performances by all, especially the heartbroken Nina, desperately trying to sneak some connection.

My quibble with the story: Given Nina's known closeness with her mother (and who saved Madeleine's life by calling an ambulance in time), I am surprised that Madelein'e daughter didn't start by accepting Nina's offer of providing occasional help to the caregiver. And even if Madeleine can't speak, can't she find some other way to communicate she wishes to see Nina?

Romeo and Juliet

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 25 September 2021]

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.

A wonderful, tender, sweet movie

[konstantinidou · 8/10 · 9 November 2019]

A.difficult subject approached by a young director in very tender and sweet way. A wonderful movie about the power of love overcoming the difficulties and victoriously glow at the end. A must see movie. It will warm your hearts :)

Heartbreaking, Beautifully Performed...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 21 February 2021]

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.

Touching movie

[Paprika_films_production · 10/10 · 28 January 2020]

Brilliant and well shot, beautiful images of beautiful women... A very moving story of two women hiding to their families they love each other until the day they have to tell the truth and stop hiding. A vibrant tribute to love, a must watch !!!

Great actresses in a heart warming movie

[Amera45 · 9/10 · 28 January 2020]

Haven't seen a film like this before even though I'm used to love stories this one is an original one, hope it will get you as much as it did for me ! :)

delightful

[Kirpianuscus · 2 September 2021]

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 .

Perfect

[atractiveeyes · 10/10 · 28 November 2020]

It's an amazing tender drama with a touch of thriller. The story is one of the best stories about true love without any exaggerated efforts and flows nicely. It's slow-paced and so simple yet so touching and full of emotions. Performances are all great. Camerawork is awesome with nice sceneries. It's one of the very best movies I saw this year. Im glad France chose it as its official candidate to the Oscars and I really hope it'll get its deserved nomination. Highly recommended.

Waffle dressed up as love... again.

[inspirelake · 1/10 · 8 February 2024]

What we have here is the type of waffle that people believe is a story of love and undying devotion.

However, what we have here is a story about how lives built on fear and lies, will not work out for the best for anyone, ever, in the end.

The acting was passable. Depicting a coward and a control freak were good roles for the two lead actresses.

Reading all the starry eyed reviews that believe they have a clue about true love, I thought I would watch it, it had every chance of being a well done scenario about the particular theme - two older women who are in love and have been for a long time. However, in this film, in this day and age, they choose to keep the issue secret from the world, rather, scuttling across hallways in the same block of apartments to meet and share life together.

Held in France, where, forgive me, the last time I went to France absolutely no one gave a flying sock whether people were gay, kissing openly in the street to say goodbye for work, kissing openly at croissant breakfast bars in Paris, holding hands, hugging, gazing... you get the picture.

So here we have a movie about a couple of woman where one was once married and had children. She's too afraid to reveal to her children who are all grown up big people who I'm sure can handle it, that she in a deeply committed relationship with a woman, and so, all the lies that commit stupidity and also crimes, begins. Apparently, in this film, being 'in love' gives someone the right to destroy a parked vehicle and destroy someone's job - but sadly, reviewers here see this as 'love'. If hiding, sneaking around and lying constantly, destroying property and others people's incomes is love, then I'm a monkeys ass. I thoroughly dislike this type of twaddle dressed up as devotion. A pair of more self absorbed, insular women would not be nice to know and I disliked this movie because it did nothing at all to serve true love of any type or gender.

A movie that shows reality

[pitacompanhia · 10/10 · 13 November 2020]

This movie shows the life of two absolutely in love souls, living in a very undignified way, hiding who they truly are because of a society that does not accept them and because of the weight their shoulders carry, as they (specially Mado) perceive themselves not "normal". I cannot imagine living so many years hiding who you are, but I think and know that it is because of movies like this that mentalities change. not just because of the courage it gives the ones "hiding" but also because it brings understanding for the ones who cannot imagine the pain of such a situation. All cast is absolutely amazing but Barbara Sukowa deserves a standing ovation for this character representation.

What happens to closeted lesbians as they grow older

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 18 October 2020]

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.

Thank you thank you...

[sanchezghp · 9/10 · 11 February 2020]

... 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!

Two of Us

[Suotip14 · 10/10 · 28 January 2020]

"You and I have memories Longer than the road that stretches out ahead"

The Beatles

Two of Us the movie is a vibrant celebration of love between two women as we rarely see on screen, the actresses give the chills in their interpretations. Great movie that I enjoyed watching a lot. Truly heartfelt and really well shot thus adding a lot to the movie. A first movie completely mastered by Filippo Meneghetti, can't wait to see the next ones !

Absolutely worthwile!

[Aga-kulikowska · 9/10 · 19 September 2020]

Interesting story and a dire situation. Love between two senior women shown with affection. Wish there were more movies as tender as this one

Heart worming, fantastic !.. especially as a first feature!

[zsofia_varnai_fleurantin · 9/10 · 28 January 2020]

Difficult subject, complex roles, fantasitc directing of three amazing ladies! Bravo!

Stunning

[judithlongman · 9/10 · 11 September 2021]

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.

So very watchable

[AquaOceans · 10/10 · 1 August 2021]

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.

Moving

[marthepitous-78919 · 9/10 · 28 January 2020]

A love story between two women as we rarely see in movies, a bold move from the director, Filippo Meneghetti, signing he's first movie...

A Visual Treat

[sweidman-28016 · 8/10 · 2 March 2021]

"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.

Muriel and Nina

[richardchatten · 9/10 · 14 June 2022]

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.

Watchable

[drarzudogru · 8/10 · 4 August 2023]

In recent years, there have been a lot of films with homosexuality stories coming out of France. None of the ones I have seen stand out in a particular way. All the ones I've seen are similar. As for this movie, I can say that I liked it. The story is good. The acting is good. My only criticism is that the anatomical appearance of a paralyzed patient could have been portrayed with better acting. As a doctor, I can't say I was satisfied. I liked that the acting was understated. Even the actors in the background show good acting. There were some small parts in the script that were not believable. But the movie is really good and you can even overlook them. You can put it on your watch list.

Cinema Omnivore - Two of Us (2019) 7.5/10

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 9 February 2022]

"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.