‘Two of Us,” France’s Oscar entry, is set mainly in a quiet residential neighborhood in southern France—the unspecified locale is Montpellier and its environs. But the story plays out on a shifting border between—a passion burns steadfastly bright while desperation opens the door to madness. And physical doors keep opening and closing; it’s as if a modern-day Feydeau had turned from farce to romance and impending tragedy.
They met decades ago in Rome and have lived in France ever since, lesbian lovers still awkwardly and affectingly closeted because one of them, Madeleine , could never bring herself to break away from her husband and family. Now, after the recent death of Mado’s husband, she and her partner, Nina, a Berliner by birth played by the distinguished German star Barbara Sukowa, have plans for a bright future—leaving France and living the life they’ve always dreamed of, together in Rome.
When movies are as memorable as this one, it’s seldom because the plot is stunningly original. Elements of this story have come forth in various combinations over the past few years. What gives “Two of Us” its singular power is the hurtling urgency of the storytelling and the brilliance of the acting. Mr. Meneghetti and his script collaborators, Malysone Bovorasmy and Florence Vignon, hedge no bets, observe no constraints.
Which is how the actress plays it. In the radiance of her youth Ms. Sukowa was the protégée and muse of the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and later the star of hard-edged political films by Margarethe von Trotta. Her performance here is fearless, to say the least; it’s also fevered, frightening and transcendent, with no concern for clear boundaries, just as Nina’s behavior is, by turns, selfless, selfish, admirable, reckless and self-destructive.
And one great performance is reflected, and complemented, by another. Ms. Chevallier’s portrayal of Mado, so full of life at the outset, becomes of necessity a study in mysterious nuance. In Mado’s diminished state, how well does she understand what’s happening to her? What is she feeling as she sits in her wheelchair, gazing into an unfathomable mid-distance?
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