The Killing of Two Lovers

This was one of those movies where I waited for the other shoe to drop and then when it ends, I wonder what I watched. Sometimes, that is a very annoying thing. In this case, I realized that marriage and family is the killer of two lovers, and that seems just about right, and I don't have any regrets. I figured the random sounds would mean something so I tried to pay attention to them. Perhaps they did. I couldn't make any sense of them, though. It really was very poignant and well acted by all involved. The actress who played Jess really nailed angsty teen. The actor who played David was incredible, playing unhinged and on the edge while convincing me he was also a caring and present father. The actress playing Nikki was fine, but honestly, this story was about David, so she seemed like a bit player. The actor who played Derek played him as a total jerk, so he did well, too.

I wish I could get that hour and a half back. Horrible.

Started off with intrigue but sort of sputtered off into family drama. Visually appealing and interesting characters.

HOME RENOVATION Getting right to the point, the film opens with a tense bedroom scene as a man shakingly points a gun at a sleeping couple. How all this came to be is not fully explored, there is no tidy backstory. Shit is happening, and it may not stop. Shot in a claustrophobic 4:3 aspect ratio which renders the colourless dustbowl expanses into small town landscapes of no escape, exasperated by long and tight pickup truck cab shots. A very effective aesthetic. Though presented as a young family struggling through a trial separation, we only see the events through David: his love, his confusion, his despair, his denial, his mistakes. Clayne Crawford is excellent in the role, adopting a fragile and vulnerable bravado facade as he valiantly and clumsily fights to regain his family, and some semblance of normalcy without really understanding what is going on. He is cordial, southernly mannered, respectful of his elders and overtly sweet to his kids, yet quick to temper and prone to missteps. He is easy to like, easy to hate, and easy to sympathize with. The rock on the bottom is coming into focus. In what is otherwise a gripping drama, there lurks the lack of development of everyone in David's immediate circle, especially his wife. This plot restraint may not feel satisfactory, but it does reinforce the fact that everything revolves around David, for good or bad. Besides the bleak and cramped cinematography, "The Killing of Two Lovers" ramps up the tension with an insistent, rumbling, percussive soundtrack punctuated by twig snaps and door slams. Audioscapes found mostly in the horror genre. It's as if the movie is breathing, has a life of its own, or perhaps burning. Quite disconcerting. This is all about what's going on in David's head, which is a dark, noisy, hazy ball of confusion. Whatever happens, it is evident that it will not be great. Real life can be brutal at the best of times, but it is relationships that suffer, and even though there are a bevy of multiple choice answers, none of then are easy, or any good for that matter. A film that sticks around long after the credits have rolled to black. - hipCRANK

Deeply moving movie. Must Watch!

What a waste of time. I'm a big fan of slow-moving, dialogue-heave, indie films. This one did absolutely nothing for me. Zero plot. Mediocre acting. And super annoying soundtrack that included doors creaking and slamming. You know it's going to be esoteric garbage when it gets a super high RT rating. Avoid this one like the plague!

Simple and thoughtful, this one takes a realistic approach to marriage, separation and everything in between. Well acted and well shot too.

If you are reading these reviews and are confused by the 5 star/1 star dichotomy I can explain it this way: if you are under 35, and got the impression from the title this was going to be a crime thriller... sorry, that's not what this is and you will likely find it slow and boring. The audience for this film needs a lot of years of emotional life experience to appreciate what's unfolding here. Those folks are more likely to be deeply moved by the quiet, authentic portrait of a man struggling in an internal cage fight for self control in the face of losing his his wife and family. An incredibly powerful performance by Crawford, who masterfully conveys all this man's love, confusion, longing, hope, humiliation, rage and vulnerability simmering just under the surface.

Taking in the rustic sparseness of rural Utah is a bonus to enduring a heavily suspenseful, unusually scored, and unflinching look at a divorcing family.

A film that opens as one thing and closes as something entirely different, The Killing of Two Lovers is a masterpiece film that examines strained relationships in a small town and the dynamics within. A premise that has the potential for melodrama or over-the-top bombastics, the film is a surprisingly small, quiet movie that favors character beats over grandiose plot. David, recently separated from his wife and kids and living at home with his father a mere mile or so away, opens the film with a scene that immediately draws the audience into the film, standing over his wife and her new boyfriend sleeping in his house. From there we follow David grappling with his feelings while jobbing for work around town. The uncomfortable moments spent with his wife are stretched out, giving the viewers a secondhand embarrassment and ache for David as he continually fails to connect with Nikki. The most fully realized moments with this tortured man are when he's with his 4 kids. The scenes in which he interacts with his 3 boys and navigates his brooding older daughter are some of the highlights of the movie; despite fighting his darkest intentions, David is an incredibly loving father. Whether its sneaking over to the house to tell his boys a joke at 2am or setting off rockets with them in the park, David's joy at hanging out with his children are the only bright scenes in the film. The fact that these bright scenes are usually bracketed by darkness (stalking the boyfriend or using a mannequin for target practice with his pistol) serve to remind the audience that while he seems a dutiful father, he's also a man that needs to seek some serious therapy. Because the focus is set on David, his complexities are on full display, which unintentionally does a disservice to Nikki, as we never get a peek into her point of view. Starring Clayne Crawford and Sepideh Moafi, the cast (much like the rest of the film) is minimal, choosing to keep a narrow focus on this struggling family in a small town. Crawford is an emotional whirlwind, oscillating between moods at a moment's notice as he interacts with his estranged family, father, and townspeople. Despair and rage are at the forefront for the majority of the film and Crawford handles both masterfully while managing to not give an overly embellished performance. A testament to both good writing and good acting, Crawford's David is incredibly likeable, sympathetic, and his struggle easy to identify with. Conversely, Sepideh Moafi, as David's wife Nikki, may seem like an antagonist to David but in reality is her own fleshed out character with different wants and needs that run perpendicular to David's. The friction between be the two characters make for the highlights of the film, with Crawford and Moafi flexing their talents to yell, needle, and undermine each other in the unhealthiest of ways. With only a handful of minutes on the screen, Chris Coy does an incredible job as Derek, the interloper between David and Nikki as Nikki's new boyfriend. Of the two scenes where David and Derek interact, the second one is the explosive confrontation that viewers have spent the movie waiting for yet still manages to surprise and eschew expectations. Produced, written, directed, and edited by Robert Machoian, The Killing of Two Lovers is a stark, minimalistic affair, mostly set at two houses, one convenience store, and at a handful of crossroads, both literal and metaphorically. The low budget is bolstered by the strength of the script, the acting, and the directing choices made by Machoian. The decision to let shots linger or stretch past a comfortable limit is purposeful as Machoian lets Crawford do the lifting as David struggles with whether or not he wants to takes the lives of his wife and her boyfriend. Another highlight of the film is the delightfully odd sound mix that accompanies the score. Machoian uses sound to help ratchet the tension of the film, weaving in certain sounds that are both instantly recognizable and unfamiliar to keep the audience off their toes. The cocking of a pistol or the turning of an engine are sprinkled in at times to represent what's going through David's mind as he attempting to cope with the separation. At a scant 84 minutes, the pacing is slow, almost laconic at times, but never fails to keep the viewer's attention. Overall, The Killing of Two Lovers is a wonderful film that deserves every accolade its received thus far. A story about learning how to cope with change, navigating new and unfamiliar circumstances, and fighting to keep ones family unit together, it's a wonderful character piece that shines brightest when Crawford and Moafi interact at cross purposes. A slow burn of a film, the will he/won't he looms over the story as David's internal struggle is put on display. Machoian manages to portray the complexities and nuances of a failing relationship set against the backdrop of rural town in middle America with a technical precision that is both beautiful and heartbreaking to behold. A strong script, strong performances, and a steady hand behind the the camera make this one of the best films of the year thus far.