Two Lovers
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Synopsis
Set in the insular world of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, TWO LOVERS is a classic romantic drama, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a raw and vulnerable performance as Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man who moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard’s staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family’s dry-cleaning business.
Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision – between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love – or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.
Directed by James Gray
United States, 2009
110 minutes, Rated R
Reviews
The year’s first serious American movie. Joaquin Phoenix excels like never before. |
An elegant and gripping romantic drama. Gwyneth Paltrow has never been more intriguing on screen, or more audacious. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is genius. Director Gray reveals an unexpected gift for the mysteries of romance. | A film of unusual perception, played at perfect pitch by the actors. The whole movie is so well-cast and performed that we watch it without any particular awareness of ‘acting’. |
The year’s first serious American movie. Joaquin Phoenix excels like never before. |
An elegant and gripping romantic drama. Gwyneth Paltrow has never been more intriguing on screen, or more audacious. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is genius. Director Gray reveals an unexpected gift for the mysteries of romance. |
A film of unusual perception, played at perfect pitch by the actors. The whole movie is so well-cast and performed that we watch it without any particular awareness of ‘acting’. |