Going out as a gay couple can be very difficult, especially when you are older, as the great French drama “Deux” shows. Nina and Madeline are two retired women who share a gate on the top floor of an apartment building. Captivating landing picture: The doors of the apartments are always open, so ladies can enter and exit freely. They actually have one big house together, but nobody knows that. Not even the immediate family.
Deux is somewhat reminiscent of the recent Netflix documentary “A Secret Love,” in which I told the story about two Canadian women who for decades pretended to be best friends, roommates, or nieces, who all those years shared a great love. Only like the elderly dared to admit it and celebrate their love in public, albeit reluctantly.
You see something similar in Deux. Nina from Berlin, who brilliantly played seventy-year-old Barbara Socoa, settled in the French city where Madeleine lives her great love after a career as a tour guide. She wanted to go to Rome with the widow Madeleine, to enjoy their old age there. But Madeleine has two grown-up children she is afraid to tell about them, which means that Nina remains “the neighbor” even when Madeline gets seriously ill, with far-reaching consequences. The ladies didn’t arrange anything.
Focus on the emotional life
It’s great that the Italian director Filippo Minghetti, who made his debut with French drama, remains focused on the emotional lives of women and gives actresses a lot of space. In addition to Sukowa, which we know from Fassbinders ‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ and ‘Lola’, we meet Martin Chevalier, who achieved fame in theater in France. Known in private life as the widow of August Coppola, brother of Francis Ford Coppola, and stepmother Nicholas Cage. But regardless of this. Beautiful is her mime acting as Madeleine suffering from a stroke and detached from her great love.
Nina is not permitted to ride in the ambulance and is exempt from visiting the ICU. After all, she is only the neighbor, and to emphasize this, she is always addressed with the distant lady. Meanwhile, the movie shows how strong the love bond is. Many obstacles are thrown, sometimes the movie leans towards the thriller, with the peephole in the door playing a horror-like role. Madeline’s suspicious daughter changed the lock of the front door. But you can see from both women that it only strengthens the bond. Also Even if they split from each other, they always know how to find each other.
