Pensioners Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) 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, in Filippo Meneghetti's bold, lustrous debut feature.
Pensioners Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) have hidden their deep and passionate love for many decades. From the point of view of those surrounding them, including Madeleine's meddling daughter (Léa Drucker), they are simply two neighbours sharing a hallway during their sunset years. In reality, this landing is a bridge between two worlds: one belonging to a widowed, doting grandmother, the other to a free-spirited, fiercely independent woman who longs to spend her life with the person she loves. Clandestinely, Nina and Madeleine share a tender life, moving freely between their apartments until, one day, an unexpected event closes the portal. In this new reality, their secret cannot remain hidden if they are to stay together — and their unconditional love is put to the test.
France-based Italian director Filippo Meneghetti, along with writer Malysone Bovorasmy (in collaboration with Florence Vignon and Marion Vernoux), uses the utmost care and benevolence in crafting his bold, lustrous directorial debut. This is a film of longing and revelatory beauty. The performances of Sukowa, Chevallier, and Drucker are endlessly compelling — depicting characters both sincere and flawed, with each subtle movement adding to the seamless ballet of raw human emotion. Two of Us is a reminder of life's key lessons: you can't choose who you love — and you only live once.
DOROTA LECH
Screenings
TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 8
Scotiabank 5
Scotiabank 8