James Gray has slowly been building an impressive resume of intimate New York crime dramas in Little Odessa, The Yards, and We Own the Night, films which I’ve respected and admired if not really loved. His latest, Two Lovers, abandons the crime aspect to present a kind of realist romance, and I think it’s his best yet. And it’s positively drenched in the contemporary nighttime NYC atmosphere, which creates a wonderfully vivid portrait of life in the city rarely seen since ‘70s Scorsese or Woody Allen films.
Two Lovers stars Joaquin Phoenix, in what is apparently his final acting appearance as he commits to his music career. Maybe you saw him on Late Night with David Letterman, in which he seemed to pull a Crispin Glover. This is hopefully (and likely) a publicity stunt, as Phoenix gives his one of his finest performances here as the introverted, deeply injured Leonard Kraditor, who begins the film by tossing himself into the bay at Brighton Beach in a half-hearted suicide attempt.
It’s some years after Leonard’s fiancée has left him, and he has moved back to his parent’s small Brooklyn apartment, working with his father (Moni Moshonov) at the family’s dry cleaning business. Prying mother (Isabella Rossellini) makes sure he takes his medication for bipolar disorder while keeping a close eye on his footsteps from behind a closed door.
Dad might sell the business, and Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of a potential buyer, has eyes for Leonard. Leonard seems to like Sandra too, though he isn’t in love with her – he doesn’t have the kind of passion for her he had for his fiancée.
That passion comes back to Leonard with the introduction of Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), the pretty new neighbor he’s quick to make friends with. Only problem: she sees him as a brother, and she’s currently involved with a married man (Elias Koteas).
This is the framework for your usual romance – comedy or not – the romantic triangle. In most films, the guy would get the girl he wants, the girl would find out about the other girl, the guy would make things right and be forgiven, and the other girl would be better off without him, anyway. Not here. In Two Lovers, things are as realistic as possible, even painfully so – we might hope for the romantic fantasy, but eventually get a striking dose of reality. Not harsh, or depressing – just real; this is how these things turn out.
The way Gray paints each of these characters’ relationships is the best thing about the film. Not only Leonard and the two women, but also Leonard and his parents, Leonard and Sandra’s father, Michelle and her older boyfriend. These all struck a chord with me. But the one between Leonard and Michelle really dug in – I can’t recall a film that had presented this kind of relationship so effectively, so spot on.
Phoenix gives an incredible performance, imbuing this troubled character with an empathy we wouldn’t expect; early scenes show an awkward, mumbling presence we don’t expect to care for as a romantic lead, but he’s eventually brought to life. The rest of the cast is fine, but Phoenix really shines.
And whether it’s the Brighton Beach docks, or Brooklyn apartment blocks, or upscale downtown restaurants and nightclubs, Two Lovers is just bleeding a rich and vibrant NYC atmosphere.
And it’s not the 70s/80s New York that most of us know from the movies, but what the city has become over the last 20 years. This is a contemporary New York, incredibly specific in mood and personality, that I’ve experienced myself and only seen from Gray in the movies.
