Deux

Now in their 70s, Nina (the great Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier), pensioners living across the hall from each other in the same apartment building in an unnamed town in the south of France, have been very much in love for decades—a fact they have kept hidden from family members. But their secret relationship is threatened when tragedy strikes… Benefitting from outstanding performances from Sukowa and Chevallier, and a brilliant script that eschews any hint of melodrama in favour of a deeply affecting realism, Filippo Meneghetti’s first feature is a knockout. This is cinema made for adults—honest, heartfelt, and true.

‘Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier bring to life an unforgettable lesbian couple whose sexual flame still burns brightly and whose mutual devotion is quietly thrilling in Two of Us (Deux)… A romance this convincingly lived-in is rare indeed. Director Filippo Meneghetti’s incredibly deft feature debut is cause for celebration… Beautifully crafted and perfectly cast, the film touches on everything from keeping up appearances and family dynamics between parents and adult children to a critique of retirement homes that over-medicate residents… Exquisite.’—Lisa Nesselson, Screen