Pensioners 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.
Transcending sexual identity, “Two of Us” highlights the universal need for human connection and dedicates love to its most intimate emotional connection rather than featuring glorified sexual scenes in the name of queer representation. Not only does it delve into the love of two women, but they are women of an older generation whose narratives are often forgotten – the price of choosing tropes and glamour.
There are plenty of melodramatic moments to go around in the film, but Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) keep those moments powerful and refreshing through some unconventional shifts in the narrative. They meet in Rome and become secret lovers, starting a romance that continues even as Madeleine starts her own conventional family: a husband with whom she has one son and one daughter. However, their secret carries a price and Madeleine soon suffers a stroke – a physical manifestation of the stressful resistance to revealing the truth of her love affair. Both Nina and Madeleine find themselves challenged through the unfortunate circumstances that unveil a truth bound to be revealed.
Chevallier is the heartbeat of the film. Despite not having much dialogue nor much action, her eyes and the subtlety of her microexpressions create tangible feelings that deeply entwine with Sukowa’s show of desperation. It’s tragic, watching Chevallier continue to express her adoration through her limited mobility – yet, the depth of her love is what makes the film just as beautiful.
On the other hand, Sukowa is a firecracker – there’s no telling what direction she will fly to next in order to recover her love and her love’s memories. There is no limit in the way Sukowa continues to perform as the desperate lover, coming off too strong until Chevallier is there with her to balance the chaos with reciprocation. It is a complex interaction but the earnest way in which Sukowa and Chevallier crave each other despite the adversities of family, secrets, and a stroke is an apt reminder that love doesn’t need to be proven. Love is a choice that is constantly made over and over again by the people that are involved in it.
Even if the film seems to head in the direction of love conquers all, “Two of Us” ends with tense complexity as it showcases how choosing love can come with different forms of loss. However, the storytelling is impeccable and the pairing of Sukowa and Chevallier is crucial in continuing to pave the way for queer love stories that emphasize the love rather than the queer.
Now playing in Select Theaters and On-Demand
