Just the Two of Us

As usual, Virginie Efira is stunning and strong. Always a pleasure to watch. Melvil Poupaud, who is usually the good guy (e.g., “Un Beau Matin”), plays against type and is convincingly horrific here. The plot is not particularly original, but the film is sustained by the performances of two great actors, one of whom plays two parts. Added bonus: the appearance of the legendary Marie Rivière, who, like Poupaud, is a Rohmer veteran.

This movie works better if you don’t know the premise but it’s hard these days since we read reviews on this site and most likely synopsis as well but once you know premise you basically can predict chain of events except for ending which makes it still enjoyable but not as much. It could also be a hard watch for those with similar experiences because it’s so raw and real. I usually avoid subtitled movies but this is worth a watch since it’s chilling and short.

The film was technically good. Virginie Efira is always great in everything she does but this film was one cliche after another. Just when I thought something surprising might happen, nothing happened. I saw it at Rendez-vous with French Cinema in NYC and everyone around me was looking at their watch or checking the time in their phone which is not a good sign. If I had been on the aisle, I would have walked out. It was a drag of a film that needed a twist or a surprise to make it interesting but sadly that never came.