MOVIE REVIEW: Two Lovers (15)

Joaquin Phoenix has had a rocky road to where he is now. There has been stratospheric highs (Gladiator, Walk The Line), and horrible, tragic lows (he made the 911 call the night his brother River died). However, this recent chapter in his life has many people scratching their heads. Emerging as a bearded, mumbling hobo with hip-hop aspirations, many believe his new persona is an elaborate hoax. However, if this is the true latest incarnation of Phoenix, could director James Gray’s Two Lovers be the last time we see ‘Joaquin Phoenix: the actor’?

Leonard (Phoenix) is a shy, bi-polar 30-something living in his parents’ apartment and keeping himself to himself. That is until two women come into his life. Firstly, the equally shy, homely, but very understanding Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), whom his parents are eager for him to marry both for personal and business reasons. Then, there’s Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), Leonard’s feisty neighbour with a string of bad habits and a married boyfriend. Leonard is now torn between the safe option of settling down with Sandra, or the dangerous - but exciting - option of Michelle.

It’s not an entirely unique premise - being torn between the one your with and the one you want is a fairly universal theme (both in the real and ‘reel’ worlds), but with Phoenix as the protagonist it gives this well-worn theme a new look. It’s painfully slow at times, but just as you’re drifting out something happens to grab your attention. Having such a small group of characters, and such a tight focus on Leonard, means that even if it takes it’s time getting there, you’re kept interested.

This would have been another naval-gazing indie drama had it not been for the great cast involved. By not casting Paltrow as ‘the girlfriend’ or ‘the wife’ you free her up to develop Michelle as a much more interesting character, and she tackles this dark part with relish. Vinessa Shaw provides a strong counter-weight, making Sandra very lovable and sincere, but also a bit plain, allowing Paltrow to be better presented as an object of affection. The film is what it is because of Phoenix, however. A softer, neurotic, and at times a little pitiful, he makes Leonard empathetic but not sympathetic. A slow-burning performance, it will be a massive shame if it’s his last.

This gritty, New York-set microcosm created by Gray is perhaps not as unusual as a lot of films of this ilk, but the realism felt whilst watching this drama unfold means you get drawn in to a suitably underplayed climax. The perfect refuge for those dreading the Easter kids' films.