The Killing of Two Lovers

Name: The Killing of Two Lovers
Genre: Drama
Released: May 14, 2021
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 82
Cast: Arri Graham, Avery Pizzuto, Barbara Whinnery, Bruce Graham, Chris Coy

2021

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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7.1

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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The Killing Of Two Lovers

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Movie Details & Credits

Neon | Release Date: May 14, 2021 | Not Rated

Starring: Arri Graham, Avery Pizzuto, Barbara Whinnery, Bruce Graham, Chris Coy, Clayne Crawford, Ezra Graham, Jonah Graham, Noah Kershisnik, Sepideh Moafi

Summary: David (Clayne Crawford) desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife, Nikki (Sepideh Moafi). They both agree to see other people but David struggles to grapple with his wife's new relationship.

Director: Robert Machoian

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 85 min

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Critic Reviews

100

David Rooney

Nov 5, 2020

The Killing of Two Lovers is a transfixing drama without a wasted word or a single inessential scene. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

May 13, 2021

The Killing of Two Lovers moves at such an involving pace that it’s easy to get lost in the tension of the moment and forget we’ve seen countless iterations of this scenario before. Read full review

Justin Chang

May 13, 2021

Fast-moving and slow-burning by turns, The Killing of Two Lovers suggests that real life — and real drama — so often unfold in the in-between moments, in the anticipation rather than the actual execution of the next move. Read full review

Kyle Bain

May 15, 2021

It pulls viewers to the edge of their seats and never relents, and never stops prodding at the emotions of everyone watching. Read full review

Christopher Machell

Jun 4, 2021

Machoian has crafted an intense, moving and bleak portrait of a disintegrating marriage and fractured masculinity. Read full review

The Telegraph Tim Robey

Jun 4, 2021

The believability of this fractured family is clinched by Machoian’s casting. Read full review

Andrew Crump

May 17, 2021

The Killing of Two Lovers is remarkable to behold, but all the technique in the world can’t distract from the holes littering the production beyond cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiminez’s lens. Read full review

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User Reviews

Britimon

May 21, 2021

It had so much... presence. I was utterly present in this minuscule, but gravity-filled, world. Acting was perfect.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

UncleWillard

Jun 12, 2021

Definitely tense and starkly beautiful. Hard to imagine such a wide open and desolate place still seeming claustrophobic, but it feels suffocating. I've how you're at once sympathic and repulsed by David, and Clayne Crawford pulls off an amazing performance riding the thin line between them.Definitely tense and starkly beautiful. Hard to imagine such a wide open and desolate place still seeming claustrophobic, but it feels suffocating. I've how you're at once sympathic and repulsed by David, and Clayne Crawford pulls off an amazing performance riding the thin line between them. Coy as Dersk brings a tense and predatory Ed Norton vibe to what turns out to be a managing character, and with very little screen time. This is a great flick about a disintegrating marriage and the desperation of losing it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Brent_Marchant

May 15, 2021

When a couple goes through a trial separation with an open approach to dating others, difficulties arise when the spouses see the arrangement differently from one another, leading to tense exchanges, heartbreak and eventually the threat of genuine danger. But, in director Robert Machoian'sWhen a couple goes through a trial separation with an open approach to dating others, difficulties arise when the spouses see the arrangement differently from one another, leading to tense exchanges, heartbreak and eventually the threat of genuine danger. But, in director Robert Machoian's latest, things are not always what they seem to be as this chilling and suspenseful tale plays out. The film's brilliantly orchestrated and executed minimalist treatment, coupled with its expertly crafted atmospheric mood, ethereal soundtrack, stark cinematography and fine performances, combine to make for a taut, gripping story that keeps viewers spellbound, especially when it spins off in unexpected directions. Admittedly, the picture could have benefitted from a little more back story, though that's more than made up for by the production's superb character development and many other attributes, a film that shows more than tells in conveying its narrative. This Independent Spirit Award nominee for the competition's John Cassavettes Award was certainly well deserved, showing cinephiles and the movie industry at large that it is indeed possible to produce great work with meager means.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

moviemitch96

May 28, 2021

A small little film filmed in my native Utah, an estranged husband and wife go through a trial separation, pushing the sanity and patience of the husband to the edge as he tries to grapple with his wife's newfound relationship. First off, the always fascinating 4:3 aspect ratio reallyakesA small little film filmed in my native Utah, an estranged husband and wife go through a trial separation, pushing the sanity and patience of the husband to the edge as he tries to grapple with his wife's newfound relationship. First off, the always fascinating 4:3 aspect ratio reallyakes this film stand out, as do the performances, particularly Clayne Crawford's unhinged performance. Storyline, the film definitely hooked me, but execution-wose, I felt rather underwhelmed throughout most of the film, and the ending in particular felt loose, open-ended, and like nothing was really resolved. Overall, very well-shot and a tense mood throughout. However, the film simply just underwhelmed a little in the end.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

May 29, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Stay together for the kids.
It may be a simplistic reading, but there are not many possible interpretations in this film.

The plot is simple. A man who takes time apart from his wife to try to repair his marriage and not tear his family apart in the process.

The total focus of the narrative is on him, but for the same reason the film makes the other characters completely one-dimensional.

Apparently one of the things they agreed to in their time apart was to be able to see other people, something that his wife is doing, while he's clearly falling apart.
The same scene that opens the film shows you the extent of that quite clearly.

Fortunately the film is short, so it doesn't recycle its elements, this despite the fact that it is quite clear that the character, not wanting to separate his family, doesn't understand that his relationship has ended, and perhaps the healthiest thing now is to take separate ways.

The tension that remains is more of a residual effect of the opening scene, since what remains to be wondered as time progresses, is whether he will ultimately make that wrong decision, or will he be strong enough not to.

The Killing of Two Lovers is a movie that feels cold and distant, but it held my attention, and like I said, it helps a lot that it doesn't overextend its welcome.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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