I have to say, this movie shook me. But here we are anyway – The Killing of Two Lovers Recommendation. Sort of reminded me of the movie I covered the other day – My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To. You know, hyper-realism sort of bent? If you dig your indie film making hyper-real, and powerfully dramatic, this might be a film that scratches what itches you. But what is it? Nope. Not telling you. You either have to be intrigued enough from the title, and what I’ve told you so far… If you are, you can watch the film right here, here, or here.
First I have to say, that I adored the aesthetic of this film. The locations, the sets, the cinematography – hell, the aspect ratio… all brilliant. The shots were these long, long, shots, that made us feel like we lived in this town. Anyone know where this was shot? I assumed like Kansas somewhere, but you can see mountains occasionally. <<<TIME TRAVEL>>> Never mind. I figured it out – It was filmed in Kanosh, Utah (population 699!). Definitely didn’t feel like Colorado. So Utah makes sense. If you just want to get immersed in a wickedly small town… this movie is for you. (My brother-in-law’s family used to live in a town just like this one in Kansas, and it literally was difficult driving through town with having to stop every 50 feet to say hello to someone different, talk about their cow Mabel, the works.
The Killing of Two Lovers Recommendation
The movie opens with one of the most dramatic, and compelling scenes I’ve ever witnessed in a movie. And it’s the hyper-realism that is so shattering in my mind. David (Clayne Crawford) is standing in his old bedroom, where his wife Nikki (Sepideh Moafi) is asleep in bed, with another man, Derek (played by Chris Coy). Not only do we linger on David, arm outstretched, gun cocked, ready to go… but we also watch as he tries to decide who is going to shoot. His wife? This guy? Then one of his children comes out of the bathroom, and we can watch as David has a come-to-Jesus moment… and he is overwhelmed by where he is, and what he’s doing.
The basic details of this story have got to be the most boring thing in the world for so many… so normal, so every day, so average. And yet, so utterly heartbreaking all the same. David and Nikki have split up. They’ve agreed they can date other people. But they promised that they would also date each other, try to reconcile. David is consumed. Apparently. And wants his wife back. Wants his home back. Wants his children back.
Let me be clear. If my wife told me to leave the house, this would be me. 100%. Judges would be doling out restraining orders like candy. And I would be regularly breaking into my own house, pushing for normalcy, wrecking people along the way. But David comes to his senses. He puts the gun away. And he hustles back to his father’s house where he has taken up residence while he tries to make amends with his wife. But did you notice that shot? We move from one house, down the road, make a turn, as David runs a ways, and enters his father’s house. It’s maybe 150 yards away? And I think we took in the entire town as we went.
Over the next hour or so, we watch as Nikki and David have an awkward date in David’s truck… and we watch, as the two of them watch, as Nikki’s new boyfriend from work attempts to leave flowers for her at the house. We watch as the kids stress and oscillate because of the chaos their parents are going through. And as the story trundles along I was intrigued by the characters, but the challenges, but the chaos of it all. Was it anything enormous that we were watching unfold? No. But I was struck by the simultaneous mundanity and enormity of it. There were no cosmic aliens coming through a wormhole to destroy the planet, and yet, I had a very real sense that the planet could end at any moment for these two. Would David snap? Would he kill Nikki? Would he kill Derek? Would he just give up and kill himself? I couldn’t look away.
Things happen, drama happens, but ultimately, it all comes to a head when Nikki and David have something of a minor argument in the street outside their home and Derek involves himself in the conversation. It’s pretty clear that it will all come to a head right here, and as I was watching, I put the odds of David killing Derek in the street at around 50/50. And when Derek talks Nikki into getting the kids, and leaving him to talk it out with David, I was certain the end of the world was coming… after all, David’s pistol was one car door away. But out of the blue, Derek just unloads on David and beats him utterly senseless. And this was after his being the “bigger man,” apologizing, and trying to smooth things over with David. But this was obviously just a front he was putting up for Nikki. After getting destroyed by Derek, David jumps in his truck, drives as fast as he can, but then passes out. When he comes to, he thinks that Derek is coming for him, and he randomly shoots his gun… but falls over and passes out again. But it wasn’t Derek coming after him, it was Nikki rushing to see if he was okay.
As The Killing of Two Lovers ends, we jump forward a bit in time, and we watch as Nikki, the kids, and David are shopping together. They seem to be in the market for a new smart washing machine. The implication being that Nikki has gotten rid of Derek, has allowed David to come back to the house, and that they are doing their best to make it all work again.
The Killing of Two Lovers Recommendation Thoughts
As I said off the jump, I’ve never seen a movie like this before. Sort of like the movie I watched the other day that I had never seen before… My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It Too. I guess there are bunches of impossible movies out there. My Heart being about a real life, ultra-realistic vampire movie you need to watch if you haven’t already. The Killing of Two Lovers is a passionate drama carved out of the heartland of America. I loved the knife’s edge balance that was happening here throughout the film. Will he kill her, kill him, kill himself?
The resolution was fantastic, in that it solved the problems that were setup right at the outset. And it’s a problem I get. Faced with a divorce you don’t want, and a guy who is dating (sleeping with!) your wife? You consider, very seriously, killing that guy. I mean, don’t you? I would love to hear from individuals who have walked this road. Maybe I’m just an infant, and am not seeing things correctly. But that is how I imagine I would be playing things out in my mind. And so it’s a cinematic experience grounded in so much reality that it hits like an anvil. Wait, anvils don’t hit anything. They get hit. Hrm. A Sledge Hammer? I don’t know, write in your own hyperbole. But the film got me thinking… and thinking a lot. What should I think in that circumstance… how should I act? What should I do when faced with the worst imaginable moment in my life? Burn it all down? Or strive for forgiveness? Hrrm. Still thinking that one through.
Edited by: CY
