RHODY LIVE

At the Movies with Don And Joyce

Posted 2/18/21

TWO OF US

***½ (Joyce)

*** (Don)

The French know how to make romantic movies.

This one is about two aging women who have found love together and have made it work for decades …

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RHODY LIVE

At the Movies with Don And Joyce

Posted

TWO OF US

***½ (Joyce)          *** (Don)

The French know how to make romantic movies.

This one is about two aging women who have found love together and have made it work for decades under difficult conditions.

Nina and Madeleine occupy apartments facing each other on the top floor of an apartment building, where they spend most of their days and nights in one of them, keeping the affair secret, especially from Madeleine’s nosy daughter and son-in-law.

When Madeleine suffers a stroke, their world is turned upside down, with Nina being shut out of the picture. It is a poignant story, filled with tension that will have you rooting for the couple.

The film is not rated, but is for mature audiences. It is in French with English subtitles.

At the Avon.

 

LAND

****

Robin Wright directs and stars in this wonderful little movie about a bereaved woman who suffers the tragic loss of her husband and young son.

She chooses to move to an isolated cabin in the wilderness of Wyoming (actually filmed in Alberta), where she lives simply and frugally with no electricity or running water. It is a bit of a walk, especially when snow comes, to the outhouse, where she is threatened by a bear who in turn trashes her cabin.

She has taken on a bit more than she bargained for, runs out of food, and comes close to death when she is saved by a hunter. She slowly accepts his help, learning from him how to hunt and fish and survive the elements, revealing nothing of her past or reasons for seeking escape from the world.

The two bond, sharing nothing of their past or hope for the future, living only in the present.

The film is beautifully shot in the wilderness, showing not only the beauty of nature but also the dangers.

“Land” has a poignant ending that will bring tears to your eyes.

A great line in the film was said by the hunter who responded to the question, “Why did you help me?”

His simple answer: “You were in my path.”

May we help those who are in our paths.

Rated PG-13. At the Warwick Showcase.

 

On Netflix

THE STAIRCASE

****

This 13-episode documentary follows one of the most high-profile murder trials in modern history.

Novelist Michael Peterson is accused of murdering his wife in 2001 after she is found at the bottom of a staircase, covered in blood with huge cuts on her head.

The subsequent trial and aftermath are followed by a director and camera crew for over 10 years, with footage from inside the courtroom plus up-close scenes of the defense team strategizing his complicated defense.

Peterson is a complicated man who proclaims his innocence throughout, while the prosecution builds its case.

There are mistakes on both sides, lengthy trials, and moments that will make you question our legal system.

If you do not remember the case (we did not), we don’t want to tell you too much and spoil the many directions it takes you.

The question of “guilty or not guilty” really becomes guilty or not proven, as the case moves on and we learn about Peterson’s secret life.

movies, movie reviews

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