208. The Killing Of Two Lovers; movie review

 

 

THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS

Cert 15

85 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, injury detail

I could write a completely separate blog on misleading movie posters.

There are those which con the audience by hailing a star name who only has a cameo and there are others which over-dramatise a movie's content.

This is the case with the one for The Killing Of Two Lovers.

True enough, the above photo is grabbed from the opening scene of Robert Machoian's picture but it wrongly implies a sustained level of violence.

Indeed, the film's title probably does too.

The storyline actually focuses on a rocky marriage in down-at-heel America and the impact separation has on four children.

Clayne Crawford plays David, who ekes a tough but honest living with odd jobs and is grappling to keep hold of his relationship to his teenage bride, Nikki (Sepideh Moafi).

He has reluctantly agreed to a break and is living with his ailing dad and seeing the children at agreed times.

Their teenage daughter (Avery Pizzuto) is resentful of the new set-up, claiming he is not fighting hard enough to keep the family together.

Meanwhile, the added complication is that Nikki has begun to see another man (Chris Coy) much to the dismay of the kids and disgust of David.

Anyway, David's growing frustration is reflected in erratic behaviour which consequently alienates Nikki when he is desperately trying to impress her.

These elements of relationship breakdown and aftermath are well observed and realistically seen out by both Crawford and Moafi.

And Pizzuto nails the role of the teenager who clearly believes that the world should revolve around her.

But my problem with The Killing Of Two Lovers is that it brings very little new to the family drama genre.

Indeed, it felt a bit like EastEnders transferred to middle America with shouting included.

It is another one of those films which scores in terms of performance and presentation but doesn't grab as much as it might because its storyline is too one-dimensional.

Alas, when it seems as if it has finally moved up a gear, it comes to a very abrupt ending.

Reasons to watch: Crawford's central performance

Reasons to avoid: Its storyline is pretty mundane

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? 'The Killing of Two Lovers' was filmed entirely in Utah. After the construction of the Interstate highway system in the second half of the 20th century, the picturesque natural locales of the western US state became more accessible for filmmakers, who began flocking to Utah to shoot more and more films.

The final word. Robert Machoian: "I would say The Killing of Two Lovers is the culmination of being in art school and doing these experimental project, coming to a head where narrative and my love of sound collide. " Slash Film

Share this post