Two Women tells the story of two neighbors who blossom into friends, traversing life in an uncertain world where they have lost their sense of identity. Director Chloé Robichaud was on hand to discuss her journey and ultimate goal with her remake of the 1960 film, ultimately aiming to ensure a strong women’s perspective for this story.
Florence (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman) is trapped in a miserable partnership with David where she not only has been living with feelings of depression for some time, but she has lost her mind-body connection in the sense that she has forgotten about her natural beauty. They live with their 10 year old son David and soon after we meet her, she chooses to stop taking anti-depressants, hoping to recapture her connectivity to the world. Violette (Laurence Leboeuf) is married to Benoit and the couple has just recently had a newborn. The main difference here is that there is a lot of space between them with Benoit constantly traveling for work, offering the opportunity for a different dynamic. Themes of depression, contentment, and complacency are approached in a way that is able to feel interconnected to the human spirit, something that was aided by the importance of the setting and how Robichaud framed certain shots, experiences, and moments. Robichaud explained in her Q&A with IndieWire’s Kate Erbland how the film was mostly shot in a small co-op in Montreal, even utilizing real tenants as background actors. This choice works beautifully to ensure the film has this intimate quality that enhances the emotional qualities of the film, producing an emotional roller coaster for our characters that felt earned across the board.
Florence and Violette’s chemistry here truly is fantastic, with the first sequence the two go out to a bar as friends being the essence of what they long for in the world. Robichaud fascinatingly pointed out how not only were these their first scenes filmed together, but she pointed to their chemistry being palpable prior to the actresses even meeting. She alluded to the scene where Violette confronts Florence for what she takes to be sexual sounds heard through their shared wall being a scene where the two were not even in the same room together, rather it was edited together to appear this way. This was something I could have never guessed because you truly do feel that chemistry almost immediately, also gaining a sense of who these two people are at their core. Florence has a far more eccentric personality as she is not afraid to express herself, rather she yearns for an outlet to channel her emotions and sexual desires after feeling caged up for so many years. Violette is far more tentative and seemingly is not necessarily uncomfortable in her own skin, rather she feels lost in mundaneness and becomes more and more comfortable speaking up for herself in an effort to make her husband understand that she will not stand for her husband taking her for granted. That being said, Gonthier-Hyndman stands out here as Florence because of the emotional range she displays and how she not only fills in the loud moments, but she effortlessly maintains control of the screen and is able to express so much in the quiet moments.
The film has a period that lulls, mainly in the moments towards the back half where we are meant to focus on Violette and Benoit’s relationship. There is less nuance in this relationship as the film progresses on, and it gives the audience less to grab onto because of the choices that both parties make throughout. Despite this, Robichaud still succeeds in her efforts to have something to say under the mask of this relationship, speaking to parenthood and the complex nature of how relationships are meant to evolve. Pivoting back to Florence and David, the screenplay provides each of them with an opportunity to speak their truth and gain insight into their mindset, a beautiful turn that adds so much depth to the relationship and who these two people are at heart. While the film as a whole definitely spends more time delving into the mind of Florence, with Robichaud pointing out how critical her editing and framing duties were towards her intent to place the audience in the mind of Florence, there is still plenty to be said about David and how his journey towards self discovery is both alike and dissimilar. The sexual nature of the film is given its time in the spotlight, but it is offsetted quite nicely by Robichaud to provide the perspective that sexual drive may not be the end all be all for a healthy human psyche, but people are different and everyone is simply trying their best to find happiness.
The production design and cinematography by Sara Mishara provide some stunning shots that coincide flawlessly with the simple nature of the story at heart, just normal people trying to make it through the day without losing themselves. Framing the small co-op in unique ways highlights the vibrancy of the location, providing real artistic qualities that portray a very welcoming environment. Robichaud spoke about how she was intentional in how she framed and edited certain shots to ensure the audience understood the perspectives that she meticulously crafted, ensuring that the audience had no choice but to connect with the nuance and emotions that her characters exuded.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Two Women is a simple story that has so much life, love, and emotion breathed into the material by director Chloé Robichaud. The film succeeds in its mission to have plenty to say about relationships, the human spirit, and depression whilst maintaining its uniqueness in how it is presented from an artistic standpoint. While it may struggle at times with slightly uneven pacing and character decision making that feels difficult to understand, there is still plenty to love and appreciate in an end result that resembles somewhat of an in-depth character study.
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