TWO OF US – Review by Karen Peterson

With so many films about secret love, and many more about the complications of aging, it is remarkable when filmmakers find new stories to tell. Filippo Meneghetti gives us the romantic and heart-wrenching account of two retirees navigating their secret relationship in Two of Us (Deux).

To the outside world, Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) and Nina (Barbara Sukowa) are neighbors on the top floor of their apartment building. But away from strangers, other tenants, and Madeleine’s family, they have been in a loving and committed relationship for years. Meneghetti introduces his two women on a quiet morning, enjoying the early hours and anticipating the important day ahead. Madeleine (“Mado” as Nina calls her), is meeting with a realtor to sell her apartment so that the two can move to Rome and live openly as a couple. And later, Mado will finally tell her son and daughter the truth. Continue reading…