‘The Killing Of Two Lovers’: A Masterful, Quiet Psychodrama [Sundance]

Falling in love is simple, but staying in love is a trial. Anyone who has ventured into a relationship or marriage can testify to the authenticity of this fact, and those who have undergone a breakup or endured a divorce can attest to the indescribable sense of betrayal, loss and shame that accompany such incidents. Experiences like these qualify as some of the most painful that an individual will suffer in their lifetime, and Robert Machoian’s psychodrama “The Killing of Two Lovers” depicts the complexities of separation in marriage with an articulate confidence and a commitment to visual storytelling.

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The first time that the audience meets David (Clayne Crawford), he’s trying not cry—and he’s also pointing a loaded revolver at his wife Nikki (Sepideh Moafi) and her lover Derek (Chris Coy) as they sleep. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that David and Nikki split under somewhat amicable circumstances; David is still allowed to visit his children on the weekends, he can walk them to school and the couple’s even established a date night, hoping to mend the tension between them. David wishes for the best, but Nikki’s increasing indifference to the situation and the confused frustration of his teenage daughter Jesse (Avery Pizzuto) are only worsening the barely bottled rage that threatens to eat the patriarch alive.

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Aesthetically, “The Killing of Two Lovers” can be compared as a cross-blend between “Blue Valentine” and “You Were Never Really Here,” creating an ecosystem where realism reigns supreme, themes abound in abundance and performances stand centerstage. Any-and-all indication of exaggeration, whether that be in the dialogue or plot progression, swiftly vanishes from the picture once Machoian’s adherence to uninterrupted, static long-takes (shout out to cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez) capture David’s day-to-day interactions, which include conversations with his family, drives around the secluded streets of his small town and sporadic freak-outs, with a brooding calculation. Nevertheless, all of these instances form an unrepentantly honest foundation for the film to speak upon the difficulties of love lost and growing pains.

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Although the particulars are never overtly revealed, one can surmise how David and Nikki’s relationship fell prey to collapse; she works at a law firm, splitting her attention between advancing her career and caring for her children, while he’s a caring, but quick-tempered handyman who sacrificed his artistic dreams in order to care for those he loves most. Both characters showcase indisputable flaws, but their mistakes do not exceed believability or even incur judgment. You probably know people just like David and Nikki; you’ve seen them laugh, love and leave each other.

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Granted, the viewer’s perspective remains unshakably tied to David, even at his lowest moments—the audience follows him from introductory scene to final frame, encasing you in the claustrophobic headspace of an individual attempting to perform a balancing act on the edge of a straight razor. Although every actor on the roster deserves the utmost praise, Crawford’s immaculate performance cements “The Killing of Two Lovers” as required viewing. The actor’s portrayal of a broken man on the cusp of heartbroken insanity keeps your attention deadlocked, never allowing your mind to stray or your investment to waver.

Masculinity and adulthood take the lead as the primary themes that permeate beneath the skin of Machoian’s ode to devotion and commitment, the former of which is chiefly expressed through the counterbalance between David and Derek. Despite its unremittingly bleak atmosphere, “The Killing of Two Lovers” possesses an optimistic, arguably romantic core despite its unnerving, dismal exterior. The film crafts a respectable argument for redemption and the power of reconciliation alike empowered by an undeniable ambiguity that calls the recommendation of such resolutions into question.

Should David and Nikki be together in the first place, or is their situation an indication that the couple is better off apart? Machoian leaves that question for the audience to answer, and after gaining a candid glimpse into the complexities of David’s psyche for the better part of 90 minutes, achieving a definite resolution on the topic lands within the proximity of impossibility.

Admittedly, the handful of factors that deprive “The Killing of Two Lovers” from achieving perfection might serve to improve the viewing experience for others. Although the intermittent, industrial-like sound design preserves the film’s blood flow by keeping the audience on their toes, when combined with the implication of straying down more thriller-esque pathways, the revelation that the movie ultimately rounds itself off as an unconventional drama might be disappointing for some—in congruence with the analogous projects listed above, expect more comparisons to the verité character studies in “Blue Valentine” rather than the genre subversion of “You Were Never Really Here.”

Furthermore, the movie’s pacing, while admirably glacial, harbors no qualms with taking its time; however, when combined with the unfulfilled expectations that films of this caliber typically provide, the result robs “The Killing of Two Lovers” from achieving a full-on impact, opting to impart a time-released sensation that some might interpret as anticlimactic.

Existing in the aftermath of spiking divorce rates and contemporary cinematic projects like Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”—which, for the record, plays as the perfect companion piece to the stifled ferocity of Machoian’s film—“The Killing of Two Lovers” speaks to current circumstances with a voice predicated in style and brimming with substance. Its message is timeless. Its performances? Flawless. And if “The Killing of Two Lovers” can be described as anything more than a must-see film, it can best be defined as a cautionary tale dedicated to the fragility of the family structure in the United States, a showcase of a radically talented filmmaker and a dedication to the painful reality of love. [A]

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